The cockroach Janata Party attacks the government. on the release of JEE data, is pushing for the recall of the education minister

The Cockroach Janata Party press conference on June 4 came a day after the group held its first media interaction at the Constitutional Club of India, where it said it was open to dialogue with both the government and the opposition on its demands. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Thursday (Jun 4, 2026) said the reported exposure of data of JEE (Advanced) 2026 candidates due to a cloud storage configuration problem on the result portal shows how “incompetent” people were running the country’s education system and digital infrastructure.

Leaders of the campaign, which started on social media and took on a life of its own, also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying he had failed to ensure accountability in the education sector.

At a press conference in New Delhi, CJP leaders said the incident raised fresh concerns about the security of student data and the government’s handling of exam systems.

CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka, an IIT Kanpur and London School of Economics graduate who was appointed campaign spokesman on Wednesday (June 3, 2026), said the release of candidate information reflected the poor state of cyber security.

“The names, phone numbers and pictures of nearly two million students have been exposed. In a country that has produced top technology companies around the world, the education minister and government are so incompetent that they are unable to operate basic systems securely,” Mr Ranka said.

“The Education Minister is totally incompetent. He has run the education system into the ground. We appeal to the Prime Minister to fire Dharmendra Pradhan immediately. This is about the future of our students and there is a lot at stake,” he added.

He also said that public institutions require individuals with scientific temperament and technical aptitude.

Questioning the response of IIT Roorkee, which conducted the exam this year as its nodal body, Mr. Ranka said the institute’s claim that the exposed data was in “read-only” format did not diminish the gravity of the problem.

“IIT Roorkee said the data was read-only. Is this a joke? You say it can be read but not edited. One core IIT portal cannot be run securely. Sixteen, 17 and 18-year-olds discover vulnerabilities and alert CERT. This shows the level of competence of the people running the system,” he said.

On Tuesday (June 2, 2026), IIT Roorkee acknowledged a cloud storage configuration issue associated with the JEE (Advanced) 2026 result portal after a teenage cyber security researcher reported that candidate records and admit card documents were accessed without authentication.

The institute said remedial action was being taken on a priority basis and insisted the exposed data was in read-only mode, ruling out any possibility of altering the records.

Mr Ranka demanded that the government release details of all data exposure incidents and cyber security breaches under its control.

“We want to know where this country’s data has landed and who has access to it. Details of all such breaches, especially those that could affect national security, should be made public,” he said.

Seeking to dispel speculation that the June 6 CJP agitation could turn violent, Mr Ranka reiterated his commitment to a peaceful protest.

“Rumours of violence are spreading. Cockroach Janata Party calls for peaceful and democratic protests in accordance with law and order. We appeal to people to avoid violence,” he said.

The press conference came a day after the group held its first media interaction at India’s Constitutional Club, where it said it was open to dialogue with both the government and the opposition on its demands, while continuing to seek Mr Pradhan’s resignation.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who is pursuing higher education in the United States, is expected to arrive in Delhi on June 6 and seek permission to protest at Jantar Mantar. The party said climate activist Sonam Wangchuk would also join the proposed demonstration.

The CJP traces its origins to the controversy sparked by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s remarks last month when he referred to certain individuals as “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing.

The remarks sparked a backlash on social media, with CJP founder Dipke and his supporters appropriating the term “cockroach” as a political symbol, launching what began as an online youth movement before evolving into an organized campaign.

Published – 04 Jun 2026 16:57 IST