Thousands of students, parents, and activists are preparing to march to the Indian Parliament to demand education reform after an activist who had been on a hunger strike for over three weeks was hospitalized, while organizers confirmed the protest will continue as planned.
On 20 July 2026 GMT+7, international news agencies reported that thousands of students, parents, activists, and political leaders are preparing to march to the Indian Parliament in New Delhi following a call from the Cockroach Janta party, which demands government reforms of the education system and increased transparency in exam administration.
At the protest site in New Delhi, people began gathering from Sunday while large numbers of police and paramilitary forces were deployed to maintain order. Tensions escalated on Saturday when Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known educator and activist who had been on a hunger strike for 21 days in support of the party’s movement, was taken to hospital by officials.
Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta party, affirmed that the march on 20 July will proceed as planned. He stated that authorities are mistaken if they believe removing Wangchuk will end the movement. Additionally, Dipke began an indefinite hunger strike in Wangchuk’s place starting last Saturday.
The Cockroach Janta party was established in May as an online political satire movement, quickly gaining popularity through campaigns opposing exam leaks and lack of transparency in exam administration. This led to the cancellation of several key exams in India and became a widespread source of public discontent.