Hundreds don cockroach masks as mock party stages protest in India

Hundreds of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party, an online joke that drew millions across India, gathered for the first time in New Delhi on Saturday (6 June), taking the social media movement off screens and into its biggest real-world test yet. The protest at Jantar Mantar in India’s capital marks the movement’s first foray into street politics after weeks of dominating social media feeds and news headlines, attracting millions of online followers and widespread support among young Indians. Many gathered in the heart of New Delhi’s Jantar Mantra, some with placards and cockroach masks. The party’s founder Abhijeet Dipke, 30, arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to lead the protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Since launching in mid-May, the CJP has tapped into the concerns of the under-30s and become the largest online expression of dissent against the Hindu nationalist Modi's 12-year-old rule, fuelled by persistently high youth unemployment and recurring leaks of examination papers that threaten to derail the careers of millions of students.