Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke weeks of silence Thursday, promising swift justice for repeated exam paper leaks that have eroded confidence in the education system. But his promise did little to quell unrest as thousands of students remained camped in central Delhi, joined by opposition leaders and activists from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The CJP — named after a jibe by India's chief justice comparing unemployed youth to "cockroaches" — began as online satire in May. Then 2 million students who sat for the medical entrance exam saw results scrapped after questions were leaked. The scandal, linked to roughly a dozen student suicides, sparked outrage. The CJP now demands the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for nationwide protests Friday.

Police charged and tear-gassed protesters marching toward Parliament three days earlier, injuring more than 100 people and detaining dozens. At Jantar Mantar, protesters chanted "Cockroach Zindabad" and held placards reading "Save Education, Save the Future." Student Ankit Sarthi said the movement is about government accountability, while graduate Tanisha Bose called it "a message to Modi." Authorities cut mobile internet access around the site without a public order, violating Indian law per the Internet Freedom Foundation.