India: Hundreds attend 'Cockroach' party protest in Delhi

Hundreds of people heeded the call by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) for a major protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, once again calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

 

Authorities arrested 10 people in the northeastern state of Manipur for their involvement in violence, looting and robberies during the state's ethnic unrest, the India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Friday.

The "accused had played active roles in various incidents of violence during the period of ethnic unrest in Manipur, including attacks on security forces, looting of arms and ammunition, and bank robberies," the NIA said in a statement.

The operations "were focused on identifying and prosecuting individuals, across communities, involved in criminal and terrorist activities in the state," it added.

Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence since 2023, with clashes between the predominantly Hindu majority Meitei community and the Christian Kuki minority.

The violence has killed more than 250 people till now.

Horse carriage rides in Central Park in New York City were put on hold temporarily on Friday after an 18-year-old from India was killed in an accident.

Romanch Mahajan died on Wednesday after suffering a head injury when he jumped from a horse-drawn carriage that ran out of control without a driver in the park.

The carriage driver had gotten off to take a photo of Mahajan's family when the horse suddenly ran causing Mahajan's mother to fall off. He jumped out in an attempt to help her, his father told The New York Times.

The family was in NYC to celebrate the young boy's recent high school graduation.

According to India media reports, Mahajan's family is from the northern state of Punjab.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani reiterated his call to end horse carriage rides in Central Park as the roads are now populated with joggers, cyclists, pedestrians and motorized scooters. Mamdani's said his administration would "deliver a just transition that protects workers while ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all."

On Friday The Palestinian Embassy in New Delhi called on India to deliver urgent medical aid in the face of a deepening health care crisis in the Palestinian territories, according to media reports.

The embassy said in a statement that the medical system in Gaza and the occupied West Bank is nearing collapse amid ongoing conflict and financial pressures. Palestinians are left facing an "unprecedented humanitarian and public health catastrophe."

The statement said "only 19 out of 36 hospitals remain partially operational under extremely limited emergency conditions," citing the World Health Organization (WHO).

Amid overcrowded displacement camps, poor sanitation and shortages of clean water, the embassy warned of increased risks of disease outbreaks and malnutrition, particularly among children.

The statement added that the healthcare sector in the occupied West Bank was also facing funding shortages.

The embassy asked India to extend help under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Aarogya Maitri initiative which promises "essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crises."

"If not India and the Indian people; then who? If not now; then when?" the statement said.

There has been no response from the Indian government yet.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is holding its second major protest in New Delhi on Saturday, as it pushes for the resignation of Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Supporters of the viral "cockroach" movement are calling for Pradhan's ouster after reported exam irregularities, reflecting deep frustration among young people with corruption and failures in the education system.

This comes after hundreds joined CJP protests in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow and Amritsar. Earlier this month, the capital witnessed CJP's first big protest with hundreds in attendance.

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP, asked each person to bring a plate and spoon along, posting on his X account that "the cockroaches too will make their voices heard by banging thalis (metal plates) at Jantar Mantar."

In 2020, during the Covid-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for Indians to bang pots and pans in support for doctors, nurses and other workers involved in the fight against coronavirus.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk is expected to attend the protest.

CJP urges Modi to remove education minister

On Friday, Dipke wrote an open letter to Modi highlighting the cases of student suicides due to exam stress.

"Over the recent weeks, we have tragically lost 11 young students to suicide," Dipke wrote.  "All that we students want is to see some accountability for the loss of lives."

"By acknowledging that Dharmendra Pradhan has destroyed India's education system and by taking decisive action to replace him… you will be demonstrating to the nation that you possess the strength and resolve to enforce true accountability in this country," the letter said.

Hello! This is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi Studio bringing you the latest news from across India.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has called for supporters to gather at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar to continue protests to demand the resignation of Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over reported exam irregularities.

The Palestinian Embassy in India requested New Delhi for urgent medical aid, in a statement, as its healthcare sector is on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, police in Manipur arrested 10 people for violence, looting and robberies in the strife-torn region in northeast India .

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