India's Cockroach movement protests Modi government crackdown

Summary

A fresh wave of protests by India's youth-led Cockroach movement has faced a crackdown by Narendra Modi's government and the closure of a historic protest site in Delhi, The Guardian reports. The Guardian says two movement leaders were imprisoned for five days for violating suppression measures, and protests that began over education and unemployment are now focused on voting rights. The government denies seeking to disenfranchise millions of voters; The Guardian says the treatment of protesters has drawn criticism from the UN and Amnesty International and raised concerns about autocracy. France 24 also describes the protests as defying the government.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   14 Oct 2026, 16:06 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian's video item describes India's Cockroach protesters as defying Modi's crackdown.

2. The Guardian

   14 Oct 2026, 17:40 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that a fresh wave of protests has been met with a government crackdown and the closure of a historic protest site in Delhi, with two movement leaders imprisoned for five days.

3. France 24

   14 Oct 2026, 18:40 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 describes the Cockroach movement as youth-led protests defying the Modi government and asks how far it will go.