Thousands of protesters marched in Delhi as part of a movement called the 'Cockroach Janta Party,' or CJP. The movement is led by young people who want changes to India's education system and the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. It started over a month ago and is connected to the NEET paper leak — a scandal where someone stole the questions for India's national medical school entrance exam before test day, making people question whether the exam is fair. CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke has been key to organizing the protests, which drew tens of thousands of young people. PBS NewsHour described it as a 'Gen Z' movement PBS NewsHour.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike became a rallying point for the protests. On July 20, 2026, CJP marchers moved toward Parliament The Independent. Security forces met them with force. Delhi Police used pellet guns (weapons that fire small metal balls), electric shock batons, lathi charges (police hitting people with heavy sticks), and tear gas. At least 80 protesters were injured The Hindu. Delhi Police said that nearly 180 people in total were injured, including 60 protesters and 118 police and security staff Al Jazeera.

Delhi Police denied using pellet guns and shock batons, calling the reports 'completely false and misleading' Rediff. But BBC Verify, a team that checks whether videos and claims are real, studied footage showing security officers firing pellet guns at protesters BBC. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a national security force that also faced questions, told Indian media it was too early to comment and that it was looking into what happened. The Indian Express reported that three people were treated for pellet injuries during the protest at Jantar Mantar, a public gathering site in Delhi, and that the CRPF launched an investigation Indian Express.

The injuries were serious. Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, a 25-year-old from Gurugram, was hit by pellets. A 19-year-old protester may lose vision in their right eye, according to their family The Hindu. A 28-year-old sports journalist who joined the protest had 30 pellets lodged in their body and was seeking compensation Indian Express.

Opposition leaders seized on the violence. Rahul Gandhi showed a protester's pellet injuries to the media and accused the central government of lying about using pellet guns on protesters, saying, 'Stop assaulting our students' The Hindu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed 'strict action' amid the cockroach protests The Independent.

The broader context here is a clash between two sides. On one side is a government using crowd-control tools normally reserved for troubled border areas. On the other is a generation that has organized without relying on traditional political parties. Sona Bisht, a 20-year-old student, told the Associated Press: 'If the government thinks that doing this with Gen Z can stop us, then that won't happen' PBS NewsHour. The CJP's demands focus on the NEET paper leak, which has damaged trust in India's medical entrance exam system. By demanding that Pradhan resign, protesters are tying exam failures directly to political responsibility.

The use of pellet guns in Delhi is a notable escalation. The verified footage analyzed by BBC Verify contradicts the Delhi Police's official denial. The CRPF's decision to wait for its investigation leaves the government's position in tension with documented evidence. The fact that journalists and minors were among the wounded raises the stakes for the CRPF's review.

For now, the movement has shown it can bring out tens of thousands of people and keep up pressure for weeks. The government's response — promising 'strict action' while using force and denying pellet gun use — suggests a hardening line. Whether the CRPF investigation acknowledges the pellet gun use that BBC Verify documented will tell us how the state plans to handle both the protests and the story around them.