Protesters camp in New Delhi demanding education minister resignation

Dozens of demonstrators have camped overnight at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, defying police orders and remaining on roads and pavements through summer heat. The group, organized under the name Cockroach Janta Party, says it will stay until the federal education minister resigns.

The movement began as online posts after India's chief justice compared youth to cockroaches in May. An official website and social media accounts were created, and the Instagram following reached 22 million.

Repeated leaks of competitive exam papers and disputed scoring have increased pressure on students seeking limited university places and jobs. More than a dozen students died by suicide in the days between two scheduled exam dates. India temporarily banned the Telegram messaging app to limit further leaks.

On Sunday, 1.7 million students retook the medical entrance examination after an earlier version was cancelled due to a leaked question paper.

demands The first street protest occurred in New Delhi on June 6. Demonstrations later took place in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Nagpur. Police have restricted water and food access at the site and maintained a heavy presence. An 18-year-old participant who sat for the cancelled medical exam told Al Jazeera he has not resumed studying and has lost confidence in the fairness of competitive tests.

Another protester, also 18, said this was their first demonstration and they intend to remain despite family objections. The movement's leader, who returned from studies in the United States earlier this month, told Al Jazeera the group will not leave until the minister resigns.