NEW DELHI (AP) — Supporters of India's youth-led ******* roach movement clashed with police Monday as thousands of them tried to march to Parliament to demand the education minister's resignation, while the government appeared to make its first outreach to the movement's leaders.
Police fired tear gas and charged at protesters with batons after demonstrators tried to breach security barricades surrounding the protest site in central New Delhi, marking one of the most serious confrontations yet in the movement's campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
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 from Parliament, included students, professionals and families with young children. Many carried backpacks with water and food, expecting a long day, while others waved Indian flags. Police urged protesters to disperse over loudspeakers, as the crowd chanted slogans against the education minister and Modi.
The ******* roach 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.
Police fired tear gas and charged at protesters with batons after demonstrators tried to breach security barricades surrounding the protest site in central New Delhi, marking one of the most serious confrontations yet in the movement's campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
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 from Parliament, included students, professionals and families with young children. Many carried backpacks with water and food, expecting a long day, while others waved Indian flags. Police urged protesters to disperse over loudspeakers, as the crowd chanted slogans against the education minister and Modi.
The ******* roach 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.
3 months ago
