Media distrust emerges as a key theme among Cockroach Janta Party protesters | Ground Report from Jantar Mantar

AT the Jantar Mantar dissent by roach Janta company, an online social movement seeking to interpret its instant virality into on-the-ground impact within three weeks, distrust of the media emerged as a key theme among participants in Delhi on Saturday.While the protest called by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who returned from the US in the morning, remained peaceful, a section of the protestors wanted less of the mainstream media there. “Hum Godi Media se baat nahi kareinge,” said a number of protesters to multiple news outlets, using the popular term for ‘lapdog’ or pro-government media that has evidently reached the Gen-Z lexicon too. Slogans to that effect were raised too, such as “media-walo bahar niklo” (‘get out, you mediapersons’).However, CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka calmed this section of the protests, saying that “truly biased media” had “already left after declaring everyone here as anti-national”.Also read | BJP chief takes a ‘puppets’ dig as Cockroach Janta Party protest sets a 7-day ‘deadline’ for education minister to quitHe assured the protestors that the ones still there, talking to the crowd, were “not like them”. “Jo zor-zor se chillaate hain, woh already live karke, humein anti-national bol kar, chale gaye hain. Yeh sab log, ache log hain. Humari protest cover karna chahte hai, aur inka saath humein dena hai,” said Ranka, telling the crowd not to target all journalists. Main demand, and then someThe Jantar Mantar protest was planned after Dipke — who set up the CJP social media accounts mid-May to reclaim the word ‘cockroach’, used by Chief Justice Surya Kant during a hearing — announced his return to India in a video on June 1. In this video message, Dipke called for his “fellow cockroaches” to gather.The focused demand was the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over recent exam-related controversies, such as the NEET-UG leak and the CBSE paper-checking system seeing problems.Dipke earlier called on supporters to “meet me at the airport”. However, citing overwhelming response, the CJP founder tweaked the plan and appealed to gather at Parliament Street, from where they would all march to Jantar Mantar.After securing police permission for the protest at the last minute on Saturday, hundreds gathered in the sweltering heat.The crowd, led by Dipke and newly-appointed CJP spokespersons Vijeta Dahiya, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, called for Pradhan’s resignation.As they chanted “Dharmendra Pradhan isteefa do,” the sentiment on the ground went beyond just exams. Many referred to India’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index 2026, which is 157th, down from 151st in 2025. This ranking was also mentioned during a row that erupted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Norway, when a question from a Norwegian journalist triggered a rebuttal from the Ministry of External Affairs. Voices from the groundThe ‘Cockroach’ protest overall drew a crowd that went beyond students and Gen-Z. Teachers, parents and even senior citizens joined in.A teacher from Pune told HT about the plight of the students who have been impacted by the “continuous” irregularities.However, many protestors stated that the aim of this movement was greater than simply demanding a better education system; rather, it was to “create a better India for generations to come”.“Today we are here, as the youth of India, to take back our freedom and demand a better system,” Yashpal from Vrindavan told HT, also adding the demand for strict action against corruption.“To think that a protest like this emerged from a satirical reaction shows how angry we are and that we are done with injustice,” said Vanshika, a mental health practitioner in Delhi.“We’re all very angry. Listening to the news every day, be it paper leaks, violence against women, student suicides or infrastructural failure, we have reached a point where we are just done and want change,” she told HT.“Why should ministers feel comfortable doing anything? If they are not able to serve in their jobs well, then they need to go,” she said.