NEW DELHI — The protest camp came to life as student demonstrators rolled up their bedding after another night under the open sky. At the heart of the camp, activist Sonam Wangchuk lay inside a tent, his weakened frame showing the toll of weeks on hunger strike.
"If not fasting, what? Riots in the streets? That's what we don't want to do. So this is a peaceful way to take your voice to the government," Wangchuk said on a recent afternoon as worried supporters checked on him.
The 59-year-old has become an unlikely symbol of India's Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-led movement that erupted online two months ago and gained momentum over alleged leaks on social media in the country's fiercely competitive college entrance exams.
With the hunger strike in its third week, organisers are racing to keep pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which they accuse of ignoring their calls for the education minister's resignation.
"There has been no kind of response from the government. They have left Sonam Wangchuk to die," said Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University student and founder of the Cockroach Janta Party.
The movement began in May after Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant compared some unemployed young people to "cockroaches" during a hearing on another issue.
Supporters embraced the insult as a badge of resilience, turning it into a satirical political campaign that amassed more than 21 million Instagram followers in a few days.
The movement seeks the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, over the alleged leaks, along with sweeping reforms to the examination system and compensation for families of students who died by suicide, whether over the leaks or exam results.
For many young Indians, their future depends on a single entrance exam for government jobs and medical colleges.
Dipke said the movement's online popularity has translated into growing support on the ground.
Since its first major demonstration in New Delhi in early June, he said, thousands of supporters have turned out at universities and rallies in other cities.
The presence of Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist, shows how the protest has drawn professionals beyond the world of education.
High-profile attention is growing. Opposition leaders from several political parties and some Bollywood celebrities have visited the camp or lent support to the movement in recent days.
But turnout in New Delhi has been modest compared with the large online following.
On most days, a few hundred people gather at Jantar Mantar for a sit-in, with crowds typically swelling to around 1,000 by evening. Many have endured weeks of monsoon rain, sleeping in tents.
Unlike established political parties, Dipke said, the movement has no formal structure.
Supporters pay their own way to New Delhi, where they camp at Jantar Mantar, a designated public protest ground enclosed by police barricades. There has been no police attempt to shut down the protest.
Ajay Zingade, a 33-year-old IT professional, said recurring exam paper leaks compelled him to join the protest despite no longer being a student.
"I am just exercising my fundamental right of dissent," he said.
Organizers say the movement has grown into a broader campaign for accountability and restoration of trust in institutions that students believe have failed them, including the judiciary, the political system and the media.
"The system needs a complete overhaul because the current system is no longer accountable or even taking basic responsibility," Dipke said.
But the government has neither opened negotiations nor publicly acknowledged the movement's demands. The education ministry did not respond to AP questions.
Senior leaders in Modi's government have largely dismissed it, with the education minister accusing its members of working against the country. Other government leaders have argued that while students' concerns deserve attention, there is no need for the government to negotiate with them.
Protest organisers say the government's silence has hardened their resolve as Wangchuk's hunger strike continues.
"In a democracy the government is supposed to listen to the people, to have a dialogue with the people, and more importantly to be answerable to the people. I don't know why the government isn't doing that," Dipke said.
For Wangchuk, his strike is an attempt to channel that anger into peaceful civil disobedience.
"It's to demand accountability, which is important in any government," he said.
Organizers say they are preparing to escalate the campaign with a march to Parliament on Monday.
Wangchuk said it is intended to bring demands directly to lawmakers.
"We hope that government is sensible enough to reward peaceful ways rather than wait for not-so-peaceful ways," he said.
Dipke said they are prepared to continue the demonstrations for as long as it takes.
"The government was thinking that maybe if they ignore us: These are kids, they will go back home. But I think we have proved that we are here for the long battle, and we are not going to go back home," he said.
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