New Delhi: Delhi’s Jantar Mantar became the center of a new wave of youth discontent as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began as a viral satirical movement, staged its first major offline protest. Demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid the NEET paper leak and CBSE OSM controversy, hundreds of protestors gathered under the symbolic banner of the “cockroach”.
Most of the protesters were young—in their teens or early twenties—who want to voice their frustration over a system they say has failed students and job seekers.
While the protest drew significant crowds and support from activists such as Sonam Wangchuk, one aspect stood out: its overwhelmingly male character. Men seemed to dominate the landscape, both as party leaders, and as protesters scaling walls for better views and vantage points, and leading energetic chants.
While women were also present at the protest, their presence felt noticeably sidelined.
This gender imbalance wasn’t a mere visual detail; it highlighted deeper societal patterns in street protests and political mobilization in India. “Women continue to face harassment in online spaces, even when our video bytes get shared online. We cannot let that sway us. Women need to reclaim political space,” said Naureen, one of the members of a student’s political organisation called Disha.
Yashna, one of the many students at the protest, added, “There were too many men, including media personnel, who did not care about maintaining some distance from women. The majority of them lack all sense of personal space. I had to scream at them multiple times to create space for myself.”
“Women are pushed to be scared of threats consistently,” said Kadambri, a resident of Delhi. “The moment we as women post anything in any online space, men from IT cells and trolls start commenting and messaging threats. It steers women away from public visibility.”
Women were present, still, holding placards, joining chants, or standing in support, but their numbers were visibly fewer, and their existence seemed more peripheral.
“It is extremely difficult to exist as a woman, or a queer person, in any male-dominated space, and the protest did not feel any different,” said Deeksha Sinha, a photographer capturing the protest. “The initial shove came with the big crowd of men surrounding Dipke. At one point it felt like I was not able to breathe.”
This disparity was also ironic for a movement whose manifesto explicitly calls for 50 percent reservation for women in Parliament and Cabinet positions, without expanding the House. “We did offer the role to our female team members, but many told us they would prefer to be actively involved without being at the forefront due to the constant online attacks and threats we are receiving. We respect their decision,” wrote Dipke on X, addressing the lack of female leadership.
“True representation requires strategies to ensure the participation of gender minorities. Without intersectionality, political movements risk echoing the very patriarchal structures they claim to challenge,” said Amisha, one of the student protesters who joined at Jantar Mantar.
‘Want CJP to become political party’
Nidhi Verma came with her two sisters from Palam, south-west Delhi. Verma, who appeared for NEET from 2014 to 2018, claimed the paper was leaked twice during her attempts. “I had lost all hope,” she said. But, she did not give up. She went on to complete her MBA from IIM Lucknow, and today the 27-year-old is a corporate employee.
“I do not want kids applying to go through the misery I did,” she said.
While Verma came for other aspirants, 21-year-old Manika came to express her unhappiness with the Rs 10,000 salary she gets even though she is a graduate.
“My parents still have to take care of my needs, I do not want this, I want financial independence, but with Rs 10,000 a month it is not possible,” she said.
Manika has been appearing for the SSC exam for the past few years in the hopes of a stable, well-paying job. “There have been so many delays, and rescheduling. I keep prepping and there is no result. This is injustice,” she told ThePrint. “Later I find certain people with money and power have leaked papers or made back-door entries,” she added.
Manika and Nidhi were two women in a sea of male protesters at Jantar Mantar. Both said the near-absence of women was probably explained by families not allowing women to attend such protests.
Nishant Mishra said he appeared for SSC exam several times but has so far not succeeded, mainly, he said, because of delays or paper leaks. He was at the protest to show solidarity with the CJP in demanding an alternative to the exam system. “Even if CJP becomes a political party but stands by its manifesto, I will support them,” he said.
“Dipke is an educated man, he has studied in the US, he understands the value of education,” Mishra added. He said he was disappointed that the Centre has been largely silent on paper leaks even after several aspirants died by suicide. “If an educated person like Dipke voices our opinion, at least we can expect a reply,” he said.
Verma said she does not care about Dipke’s past affiliation with the AAP. “What matters is that he is becoming our voice,” she said. “I want it to become a political party.”
Within hours of Abhijeet Dipke launching the movement on social media last month, it went viral, attracting over 20 million followers on Instagram.
This is an updated version of
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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