04 June,2026 08:02 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Journalist Saurav Das, filmmaker Vijeta Dahiya former management consultant Ashutosh Ranka were named spokespersons. Pic/Instagram
What started as a satirical social media campaign by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has now evolved into a political movement preparing for its first major public demonstration on June 6.
The Cockroach Janata Party on Thursday criticised the reported exposure of JEE (Advanced) 2026 candidate data, claiming the incident highlighted serious shortcomings in the country's education system and digital infrastructure, reported the PTI.
At a press conference in Delhi where CPJ introduced three spokespersons, party leaders urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from office, alleging that he had failed to ensure accountability and safeguard student data, the news agency reported.
CJP leaders said the reported exposure of candidate information had raised fresh questions about cybersecurity standards and the management of national examination systems.
Party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and the London School of Economics, argued that the incident reflected inadequate cybersecurity measures within key educational institutions.
According to Ranka, personal details including names, phone numbers and photographs of nearly two lakh students were reportedly exposed due to the issue.
He said it was concerning that a country known for producing leading technology professionals was unable to secure critical educational platforms.
According to the PTI, Ranka also criticised IIT Roorkee, which conducted this year's JEE (Advanced) examination as the nodal institution.
The institute had stated that the exposed information was available only in a "read-only" format and could not be altered. However, Ranka argued that the ability to access personal data without authorisation remained a serious concern regardless of whether records could be modified.
He further claimed that young cybersecurity researchers were identifying vulnerabilities and reporting them, raising questions about the competence of those responsible for maintaining such systems.
Earlier this week, IIT Roorkee acknowledged a cloud storage configuration issue linked to the JEE (Advanced) 2026 results portal.
The matter came to light after a teenage cybersecurity researcher reported that candidate records and admit-card documents could be accessed without authentication.
The institute said corrective measures were being implemented as a priority and maintained that there was no possibility of records being altered because the data was accessible only in read-only mode.
The CJP has demanded that the government publicly disclose details of data exposure incidents and cybersecurity failures involving public institutions, as per the PTI.
Ranka said citizens had a right to know how sensitive information was being handled and whether any breaches could have wider implications.
He called for greater transparency regarding all such incidents, particularly those that may affect public trust or national security.
The party also sought to dismiss speculation that its planned demonstration on June 6 could become disruptive.
Ranka stressed that the CJP supported peaceful and democratic protests and urged supporters to act within the law, reported the PTI.
He said rumours suggesting violence were unfounded and reiterated the party's commitment to lawful public demonstrations.
The press conference followed the group's first formal media interaction at the Constitution Club of India a day earlier.
During that event, party leaders said they remained open to discussions with both the government and opposition parties while continuing to press for the education minister's resignation.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who is currently pursuing higher education in the United States, is expected to arrive in Delhi on June 6 and seek permission to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The party has also said that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is expected to participate in the proposed demonstration.
The Cockroach Janata Party emerged from a social media campaign following remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a court hearing last month.
The comments sparked significant online debate, with Dipke and his supporters adopting the term "cockroach" as a political symbol.
(With PTI inputs)
