Statement of Solidarity with the ‘Cockroach’ Movement in India

Exile Hub stands in solidarity with the students, young people, workers, and communities across India who have mobilised in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement to demand meaningful education reform. What began as a response to repeated examination paper leaks and the tragic suicides of 21 students has grown into a broader movement against corruption, and the growing precarity faced by millions of young people, and institutions that serve political and economic elites instead of the people.

We are inspired by the courage and political imagination that have defined this movement. From hunger strikes and mass protests to satire, music, poetry, visual art, and the transformation of public space into spaces of creative resistance, the movement has demonstrated that protest is not only an act of defiance but also an act of creation. These are forms of public expression, as well as political strategies that strengthen collective power, sustain resistance, and challenge fear.

We are deeply disturbed by reports of the use of excessive force against civilians engaged in democratic protest across India, including at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. We condemn the repressive tactics used against protesters, including the use of facial recognition surveillance, the arrest and detention of peaceful protesters, the use of excessive force, and reports of police personnel operating without visible names or badge numbers. The legitimate concerns of young people must be met with dialogue and justice, not violence, intimidation, surveillance, and repression.

Already, these mass mobilisations in Delhi, Mumbai, and across the country have demonstrated the power of organised collective action. The resignation of the Education Minister marks an important victory for the movement and shows that governments can be forced to respond when people organise at scale. We stand firmly behind the movement's remaining demands: comprehensive examination reform; monetary compensation and justice for the families of the 21 students who tragically died by suicide following the examination paper leaks; legal protections for demonstrators; and direct dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the newly appointed Education Minister.

We call for an immediate end to violence against protesters, accountability for those responsible for abuses, and genuine engagement with the demands raised by the movement.

The struggle unfolding in India is part of a wider wave of popular resistance that has shaped Asia in recent years. From Myanmar's Spring Revolution following the 2021 military coup, to Bangladesh's Gen-Z uprising in 2024, young people have repeatedly stood at the forefront of struggles against authoritarianism, corruption, and systems that concentrate political and economic power in the hands of a privileged few. Across the region, young people have shown they are leading the fight for democratic futures built on justice, dignity, and popular participation. The ‘Cockroach’ movement joins this growing tradition of youth-led resistance that refuses to accept repression, corruption, or the theft of the future.

Coming from the Myanmar resistance, we know what it means to organise under immense repression. We recognise the same courage, creativity, and determination that have sustained our own resistance. We learn from one another's strategies and celebrate one another's victories. Every act of resistance against oppression strengthens movements everywhere. Authoritarianism learns across borders; and so our solidarity must do the same. The fight for democracy, dignity, education, and justice belongs to all of us.