What Forced These Parents to Join Cockroach Janta Party Protest?
Thousands of protesters gathered at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, holding flowers and wearing cockroach masks, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accountability for continued misgovernance in the conduct of examinations. Protesters said repeated failures in the examination system have pushed young people’s futures into uncertainty. At the centre of their grievances was the recent NEET paper leak which has caused widespread distress among aspirants and contributed to several student suicides.
The protest was called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a newly emerged youth-led satirical movement that began online on social media and has now moved to street demonstrations. The movement was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a U.S.-based Indian student and strategist, after India’s Chief Justice reportedly referred to critics as “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing. Dipke and his supporters turned the insult into a symbol of survival, resilience and defiance, arguing that young people may be dismissed or dehumanised, but cannot be erased.
We spoke to participants at the protest site, which included not just the Gen Z but also millennials and older people, to know their motivations for joining this movement.
Inside Arunachal’s Systemic Corruption
From buying votes with lakhs of rupees during elections to contractors allegedly paying massive commissions to secure government projects, corruption runs deep across Arunachal Pradesh. Because Arunachal Pradesh shares an international border with China, the central government allocates huge funds for infrastructure and development. But where does that money really go?
This documentary explores how corruption in Arunachal is no longer limited to politicians or officials alone — many believe it has evolved into an entire system involving power, money, contractors, voters, and institutions meant to ensure accountability.
He Was a Naxal. Here's Why He Quit.
In this interview, Newsreel Asia's producer Gunjan Handa speaks to a former Naxal who once lived under multiple identities — Asan, Asin, Anil, Rajaram — names that were all part of his life inside the movement. As the Indian government claims major success in its mission to end Naxalism, this conversation goes beyond the headlines and statistics to explore the people behind the conflict. Why do individuals join such movements? What does life inside these groups actually look like? And what happens after surrender? From ideology and survival to state operations and rehabilitation, this interview offers a rare glimpse into one of India’s longest-running internal conflicts through the eyes of someone who experienced it from within.