Watch: Delhi youth turn 'cockroaches', clean up Yamuna river as protest
Young volunteers dressed as cockroaches cleaned the Yamuna bank at Kalindi Kunj Ghat in a satirical protest. The action went viral as a creative response to CJI's 'cockroach' remark that drew criticism and later clarification.
A group of young volunteers dressed as cockroaches cleaning garbage along Delhi’s polluted Yamuna riverbank has become one of the internet’s most striking protest visuals this week.
The unusual sanitation drive at Kalindi Kunj Ghat was not just about cleanliness, it was a satirical response to controversial remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who had allegedly referred to certain unemployed youth and activists as “cockroaches” during a recent Supreme Court hearing.
The now-viral protest, held on May 17 and documented by Earth Warriors, showed young men and women wearing cockroach costumes, antenna headbands and signs reading “Mai cockroach hu” while cleaning plastic waste and litter from the Yamuna riverbanks.
Watch the video:
The visuals quickly spread across social media because of their bizarre yet symbolic nature. Instead of directly confronting the remark, the protesters appeared to reclaim the word through satire, turning themselves into the very “cockroaches” they believed had been mocked, while simultaneously doing civic work many argued authorities routinely fail to address.
The protest stemmed from outrage over remarks reportedly made by the CJI during a hearing, where the word “cockroaches” was allegedly used while referring to unemployed youth involved in RTI activism, social media commentary and criticism of public systems.
The comments triggered immediate backlash online, with journalists, activists and civil society members criticising the language. The incident also initiated the rise of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).
Many social media users later praised the Kalindi Kunj protest for being peaceful yet politically sharp. Several people called it one of the most creative forms of dissent seen online recently, pointing out the irony that the so-called “cockroaches” were the ones cleaning the Yamuna.
Following the controversy, the CJI later issued a clarification stating that his comments were directed only at individuals misusing professional platforms or using fake degrees, and not at India’s youth as a whole.
Online, meanwhile, users began linking the visuals to the internet’s emerging Cockroach Janta Party, where the insect has increasingly evolved into a satirical symbol of survival, frustration and public resistance.