Indian police crack down on 'cockroach' protesters; youth respond with memes

On Monday, Delhi witnessed one of the largest anti-government demonstrations in recent years against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration. Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement that began over exam irregularities, marched toward parliament demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over paper leaks and recruitment scandals. Pradhan refused to step down, accusing the opposition of exploiting students for political gain.

Police fired tear gas and charged demonstrators with batons, temporarily suspending mobile internet near the protest site. Protesters reported many were beaten, while police said several officers were injured. However, once internet access was restored, social media flooded with thousands of videos and memes. Many demonstrators had filmed themselves before the protest—doing "fit checks" or joking about the expected clash with police.

When violence erupted, filming continued. Young people posted clips showing themselves smiling next to riot police, flashing victory signs, and even interviewing injured protesters. One woman calmly reapplied lipstick in front of a line of riot police; another joked she was "serving face at the protest because the government couldn't serve justice." There was even a deadpan "review" of tear gas, rating its smell and sting.

Experts say this humor is not trivial. Joyojeet Pal, a professor at the University of Michigan, notes that younger generations grow up with politics intertwined with memes and daily life. Payal Arora, a digital anthropologist at Utrecht University, emphasizes that smartphones have turned ordinary people into chroniclers of political upheaval—their message is "This happened. We were there. We will remember."

Ishan, 21, who attended his first protest, posted a video of tear gas smoke with the caption: "Delhi Police doesn't realize I'm from Jamuna Paar." For Delhiites, the joke is clear: Jamuna Paar is a neglected eastern neighborhood whose smell is reportedly worse than tear gas. He told the BBC the humor was not about denying what happened but "refusing to let fear dictate the memory of the day."

Manit, an 18-year-old engineering student, initially hesitated to film, but seeing others recording, he asked a friend to do it. His video resembled a workout log, ending with the distance he ran while fleeing police baton charges. "If humor can make important conversations accessible, why wouldn't we use it?" he said.