India’s ‘Cockroach’ Protests 2026: Narendra Modi has vowed to set up “fast-track courts” to speed up the punishment of officials accused of leaking examination papers, as the Indian prime minister seeks to quell a youth-led “cockroach” protest movement that has rocked Delhi and posed one of the biggest challenges to his government.
The offer of faster justice than usual from India’s clogged judicial system, which can take decades to deliver a verdict, was swiftly rejected by the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), the satirical name the youth protest movement coined after India’s top judge called unemployed youths “cockroaches”.
An estimated 50,000 people protested in Delhi on Monday, after police denied them permission to march on parliament. Officers later mounted baton charges and fired tear gas. Modi’s statement follows signs the government may be softening its stance.
The “Cockroach” protests began more than a month ago over leaks in some of the country’s most competitive entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs.
Protesters regrouped by Thursday morning, returning to the protest site despite roadblocks, while authorities suspended Delhi Metro services at 16 stations to limit access to the demonstrations.