India's Modi says he forgives students after Cockroach protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he forgives students who shouted abuse at him during last month's Cockroach protests, describing them as "misled children" who should be guided rather than punished. He made the remarks in a video posted on social media late on Friday, according to the supplied report. The comments come after weeks of unrest linked to a youth-led movement that began over an exam scandal and spread across several Indian cities.

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The protests emerged in May after a crucial exam was voided when the questions were leaked, forcing more than two million students to retake it the following month. What began as a social media campaign for education reform, using viral memes, later developed into a mass movement that drew tens of thousands of supporters in New Delhi. The protesters adopted the name Cockroach Janta Party after a Supreme Court chief justice reportedly used the term "cockroaches" to describe unemployed youths and activists.

According to the report, the protests eventually ended after the Modi government agreed to all of the demonstrators' demands, including the resignation of the education minister. The government also pledged not to pursue criminal cases against any protesters. Despite that, authorities in states governed by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party later filed cases against hundreds of demonstrators after some clashes with security forces and the use of abusive slogans against the prime minister.

The episode has become the biggest political crisis of Modi's third term, highlighting the sensitivity of education, unemployment and youth anger in India. It also shows how quickly online mobilisation can turn into a wider street movement when public trust in institutions is shaken. The report says supporters of Modi's far-right Hindu nationalist politics have also doxed female protesters, including teenagers, and posted rape and death threats against them on social media.

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Modi said the protesters had used "disgusting expletives" against him and his late mother, calling the language a "cultural shock." He added that punishing the students or forcing them through court cases would not change the situation, and said it was the duty of adults to show them "the right path." His remarks suggest an attempt to lower tensions after a confrontation that has already drawn in political supporters, police and state authorities. What remains unclear is whether the cases filed by state authorities will be withdrawn or whether any further legal action will follow. It is also not clear whether the online abuse and threats reported against female protesters will lead to police investigations.

The next developments to watch are any response from the protesters, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and state governments that have already moved against demonstrators.

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