India tightens security ahead of 'Cockroach Party' protest / Photo: Arun SANKAR - AFP
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India tightens security ahead of 'Cockroach Party' protest
Indian police tightened security in New Delhi on Saturday ahead of a protest by the satirical "Cockroach People's Party", over alleged irregularities in major examinations.
The parody "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP) -- a play on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- has won millions of followers on social media since its launch last month.
The movement emerged after India's Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likened young people who criticised the government to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a court hearing, sparking outrage among the youth. Kant later said his comments were taken out of context.
CJP's popularity has soared, using the slogan "a political front for the youth, by the youth, for the youth".
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke arrived in the Indian capital from the United States on Saturday morning, after earlier announcing plans to seek police permission for a peaceful protest.
"We have to lead this movement with love and peace," Dipke -- a 30-year-old Boston University graduate and former political communications strategist for the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) -- wrote on social media.
Dipke has called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has faced criticism over the irregularities, including paper leaks and technical glitches.
India tightly regulates social media content, and some of the CJP's social media handles have been blocked.
But its Instagram handle, still online in India, has more than 22 million followers -- more than double the BJP's nine million followers on the same site, as well as the main opposition Congress Party's 13 million followers.
On Saturday, security was heightened at the airport as well as the Jantar Mantar protest site, with steel barricades set up at key points.
Riot control vehicles and detention vans were also deployed, AFP journalists saw.
In a post on Instagram earlier this week, Dipke said the future of India's youth was "getting ruined".
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the country still struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent among the youth.
B.AbuZeid--SF-PST