India police use tear gas to stop march on Parliament by Cockroach movement supporters

NEW DELHI (AP) — Police used tear gas and batons to stop supporters of India’s youth-led Cockroach movement from marching to Parliament on Monday to demand the education minister’s resignation, while the government appeared to make its first outreach to the movement’s leaders.

The police action came after thousands of demonstrators tried to breach security barricades surrounding the protest site in central New Delhi, marking one of the most serious confrontations in the movement’s campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Despite the crackdown, many protesters continued marching toward Parliament in small groups.

Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das accused authorities of “brutally cracking down” on “peaceful protesters.” Delhi Police said the march had not been authorized and that restrictions were needed to maintain law and order around Parliament during the monsoon session, which began Monday.

The crowd at Jantar Mantar, a designated site for protests just a few kilometers (miles) from Parliament, included students, professionals and families with young children. As the day progressed, the gathering spilled beyond the protest site, with demonstrators filling surrounding streets and roads.

Many carried backpacks with water and food, expecting a long day. Others waved Indian flags as chants against the education minister and Modi rippled through the growing crowd.

The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May, after the Supreme Court chief justice compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” during an unrelated hearing. Supporters embraced the remark, turning it into a satirical movement that has attracted millions of followers on social media.

The movement has gained momentum after repeated leaks of high-stakes entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs sparked public anger. It drew wider attention after police forcibly moved hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to the hospital on Saturday.

Protesters calling themselves “cockroaches” have camped at Jantar Mantar for the past month, with members of several student groups joining Wangchuk’s hunger strike. Thousands of supporters have also turned out at universities and rallies in other cities. They are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reforms to the examination system and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following paper leaks.

Senior leaders in Modi’s government have taken a hard line against the movement. Pradhan has accused the protesters of acting against the nation, while other ministers have acknowledged students’ concerns but insisted there is no need for talks or negotiations with the movement.

Though that appeared to shift Monday, when representatives of the movement held talks with Health Minister J.P. Nadda. It was the first apparent sign of government outreach to protest leaders, who sought to bring their demands directly to lawmakers, prompting authorities to tighten security around the complex.

CJP spokesperson Das, who met Nadda, said he presented the protesters’ demands, including the immediate resignation or removal of the education minister.

Separately, activist Wangchuk appealed for permission to temporarily leave the hospital and join the march.

In a handwritten note, he also said he would end his nearly three-week hunger strike only if the government took responsibility for failures in the education system and exam paper leaks, or if protesters were allowed to reach Parliament and lawmakers pledged to raise the issues in both Houses.

The protests have become a rare public challenge to Modi’s Hindu nationalist government in its third term, drawing support from opposition parties, rights activists and some Bollywood celebrities. Protesters say space for dissent has shrunk under Modi, whose government has been criticized for suppressing public protests by jailing activists and, in some cases, using forceful police crackdowns.

Jyoti Rajput, a yoga teacher, said she joined the protests because “this rotten system refuses to take action.”

“It cannot see the pain of students, and that’s why so many people have joined this movement,” she said.

For many others the campaign has expanded into a broader protest over government accountability. Some said they were driven by frustration with what they see as a lack of transparency and responsiveness from elected leaders.

Sneha Eppili, a 26-year-old protester, said she joined the demonstration because she believes the government has a responsibility to answer their questions.

“I voted for this government, so I think it’s accountable to answer our questions. That’s the basic human right that I deserve,” she said.

Security officers use tear gas shell to disperse supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march to India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party attempt to march to India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party attempt to march to India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party push against a barricade as they attempt to march to India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Shekhar Yadav)

Police officers stand guard at a protest site ahead of a planned march to India's Parliament by supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party demanding the resignation of India's education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party gather to march to India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party arrive as they gather to march to India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party shout slogans during a protest demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and repeated paper leaks in Mumbai, India, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party shout slogans during a protest demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and repeated paper leaks in Mumbai, India, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party shout slogans during a protest demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and repeated paper leaks in Mumbai, India, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Bertha formed Monday evening in the Gulf of Mexico south of the Florida Panhandle as it drifts erratically toward populated coastal areas bearing a threat of heavy rain, storm surge and damaging wind gusts, forecasters say.

The center of Bertha was located at about 8 p.m. some 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Panama City, Florida, in the northern Gulf. Maximum sustained winds were around 40 mph (65 kph) and some additional strengthening is expected as the storm approaches land, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

The slow-moving storm drifted for hours on Monday, but is expected to stay near or along the northern Gulf Coast early this week, unleashing heavy rain on coastal areas of northern Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as it pushes west toward Texas.

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur last month brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern United States.

The storm was generally moving west-northwest near 3 mph (6 kph) and expected to make a more northwesterly turn toward the coast during the night and early Tuesday, according to the hurricane center.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for a wide area from the Ochlockonee River in Florida westward to southeastern Louisiana at the Jefferson and Plaquemines parish line. A storm surge watch also has been posted from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama-Florida border on the Gulf Coast.

Potentially life-threatening storm surges of up to four feet (1.2 meters) could occur in portions of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastlines, the hurricane center said, warning Bertha could spin off an isolated tornado or two over the Florida Big Bend region in the week.

Areas of flash flooding will also be possible through Friday along the coast from western Florida to middle Texas, forecasters said. They added that rainfall could total 3 to 5 inches (7 to 12 centimeters) along the Louisiana coastline with higher amounts in some scattered areas.

Red flags were flying on the beach at Orange Beach, Alabama, cautioning swimmers about high surf and currents. In Escambia County, Florida, emergency officials offered sand for people living in flood-prone areas to use for sandbags.

Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Fausto strengthened Monday and was nearing hurricane status far out to sea from western Mexico.

Fausto had top sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) on Monday and was located about 745 miles (1,205 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. The hurricane center said it was moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph) while posing no threat to land.

This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by NOAA shows a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico, Monday, July 20, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (NOAA via AP)