We spent nine hours with 'cockroaches' from across India. Here's what they told us

The man who had mobilised the crowd, gained overnight fame and amassed more followers than the BJP and the Congress combined had arrived at the protest venue.

We arrived expecting a Gen-Z protest, only to find people of ages 18 to 50 and beyond. As the day unfolded under Delhi's unforgiving sun, it became clear that the story of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was not really about memes about "cockroaches" alone. It was about people and the frustration they had carried with them to Jantar Mantar in the heart of Delhi.

When we first stepped out of our vehicle at Parliament Street Police Station at 8 am on Saturday, the initial venue for the gathering, the heavy police deployment and the sparse group of supporters who had just started arriving caught us off guard. The turnout was not what you’d usually expect from a protest born of such a viral online page.

Then came the chants of "Inquilab Zindabad", marking the beginning of the day.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke was, meanwhile, posting constant updates on social media — when he landed, when he exited the airport and eventually when he asked protesters to shift directly to Jantar Mantar, roughly 800 metres away from the police station.

After speaking to a number of participants, it became clear that this protest was not limited to Delhi. People carrying backpacks and water bottles had travelled overnight. People from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and several other states spoke to us about unemployment, NEET-UG paper leaks, CBSE Class 12 irregularities and, for some, a broader desire for change and a long list of questions for the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

By as early as 9.30 am, we had spoken to four teachers, some parents and some unemployed youngsters disappointed with the education system as a whole.

Meeting the cockroaches

There was no trace of the Boston-returned Dipke yet. His flight had landed around 8 am — something we learnt through his posts online — but he would not reach the venue for another hour and a half or so. The airport is at an edge of Delhi, while this protest was in the central part of the Capital.

The protesters, however, were carrying on just fine without him.

The colourful banners, the "Jai Bheem" chants and the cockroach cut-out face masks only added to the intensity of the June heat.

Arvind Jain from Rajasthan's Jodhpur noticed us sweltering in the 40-degree Celsius weather and walked up to offer some practical advice. Wearing a cotton handkerchief tied around his forehead like a bandanna, he suggested we do the same.

"It helps keep the head cool and doesn't let sweat drip on your face," he said.

Jain had come for his son, who is set to reappear for the NEET-UG re-exam on June 21, being conducted as the original one was cancelled due to a paper leak. "These things have a mental toll on students, you know. My kid said that his exams went really well, only to see the papers being cancelled days later."

Then came a sudden wave of chatter, then screams.

The man who had mobilised the crowd, gained overnight fame through his Cockroach satire page on Instagram and amassed more followers than the BJP and the Congress combined, had arrived at the protest venue.

Surrounded by some aides, including CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, Dipke was almost constantly enclosed within a human chain.

It was difficult to get hold of him, so eventually we stopped trying.

Holding a portrait of Bhimrao Ambedkar, he too raised "Jai Bheem" slogans and chants demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

At one point, it felt repetitive. The demands were certainly new, but the crowd appeared to lose coordination occasionally; and the slogans were not as unconventional as one might expect from an outfit born on social media, rooted in satire and political jokes.

Not all expressions were underwhelming, though. Some of the posters were genuinely creative. One IPL-themed poster, which has since gone viral on social media, read: "IPL – India Paper Leak". It also featured orange and blue caps assigned to Dharmendra Pradhan and Narendra Modi respectively.

"Plumbers of this country unite! Too many leaks in the education ministry to fix," read another. Yet another showed NTA, CBSE and CUET-UG submerged in water with the text: “Phir se flood aa gaya... paper leak ka.”

Protesters' special mention for the media

One thing that stood out was the reluctance of many participants to speak with journalists.

The first person we approached did not even bother asking which organisation we were from. "'Godi media’ se hum baat nahi karte, (We don’t talk to ‘lapdog media’)" she said before walking away. We left her alone and moved on to the next person.

Similar sentiments surfaced later as slogans.

When a group of particularly enthusiastic journalists gathered around the makeshift stage to get a better view of Dipke, protesters who could no longer see the stage started chanting in unison: “Godi media, pichhe jao (go back).”

Dipke himself joined in when he first took the microphone. "Godi media wale toh nahi hai na yahan pe? (There aren't any 'Godi media' people here, right?) " he asked. The crowd responded with a loud: "Nooo!"

The moments that defined the day

Apart from the occasional push-and-shove that the two journalists in their early twenties found themselves caught in, the biggest display of excitement came when activist Sonam Wangchuk arrived.

The reaction was akin to when people come across their favourite pop star.

We were having chai (tea) under the shade of a tree at the venue when a young woman approached us and asked: “Do you guys know by any chance when Wangchuk will arrive? It would be so great to see him. He is one of the reasons I came out today.”

Moments later, we heard chants of: "Hamara neta kaisa ho, Sonam Wangchuk jaisa ho. (What should our leader be like? Like Sonam Wangchuk.)"

The girl immediately rushed towards the stage.

The Ladakh activist thanked supporters for following the organisers' call for a peaceful protest. He also thanked those who had arrived with flowers and assembled peacefully.

We spotted several people carrying bouquets — youngsters holding white lilies and college-going girls carrying red roses.

What this protest told us about India's youth

After speaking to nearly 30 people over the course of the day, one thing became evident by evening: people were angry. Not necessarily about the same thing, but angry nonetheless.

For some, it was the recent paper leaks and exam irregularities. For others, it was unemployment, the education system, or what they saw as the declining credibility of institutions they depend on.

The Cockroach Janta Party, which takes its name from a comment made by Chief Justice Surya Kant less than a month ago, said as much in a statement issued later: “This protest is a result of high public frustration and a lack of outlet to register it.”

The turnout at Jantar Mantar showed how quickly that frustration can find expression when a platform, even one born out of satire, offers an outlet for it.

A more immediate struggle was for water, though, at the protest venue.

Water bottles were distributed; but shops nearby soon had no stock. A water tanker eventually arrived. We had our own bottles too. But a body that is standing, shouting, reporting or just watching in the Delhi heat for several hours needed more.

By the end of the day, the last man standing seemed to be a kulfi seller, patriotically helping the people of India survive the heat.