Delhi Riots 2026 - Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest, NEET re-exam, FCRA Amendment Bill

Delhi Riots 2026 - Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest
Date	Jul 20, 2026
Location	Primarily Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg New Delhi; also in some other parts of the country.
Goals	Under the guise of a student protest carry out a regime change operation with foreign funds and anti-national elements
Status	Event Aftermath Ongoing
Lead figures
Abhijeet Dipke, Sonam Wangchuk, Saurav Das,
Casualties
Death(s)	None

In June 2026, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest started off as a student protest against paper leak in a NEET exam and within weeks, descended into regime-change riots with members from foreign funded, anti-India and left-Islamist eco-systems on the streets of Jantar Mantar Delhi and some other parts of Bharat. Anarchists leveraged the student cover to create mayhem, injuring security forces, weakening institutions and vandalizing property.

On Jul 25, 2026 the Union government however, took a step to de-escalate the confrontation and let off all the protesters with a promise not to frame charges in return for an end to the protest. This was despite the massive amount of incriminating video evidence and the near lynching of a number of security forces, journalists and civilians and the immense damage to property wreaked by the rioting.

Some saw the government’s climb down as an attempt to allow for the passage of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Parliament which will cut foreign funding to such disruptions in future.

The Context-2026 NEET Exam Paper Leak and Re-Exam

May 3, the Undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam was conducted. Over 2.27 million aspirants took the exam.

NEET is a single national entrance exam for MBBS/BDS courses, replacing the All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and many state-level exams. It is the biggest exam in India in terms of number of aspirants.

A paper leak was reported. Investigation revealed significant overlaps between a pre-circulated guess paper and the actual question paper. It led to the arrest of several people, primarily insiders from the National Testing Authority (NTA) who had leaked the paper to students in coaching classes.

A guess paper or question bank being shared through WhatsApp and other channels in coaching centers like Sikar, Rajasthan, closely matched many questions in the NEET exam, especially in Chemistry and Biology. There was an overlap of up to 140 questions.

May 12, the compromised exam was cancelled and a re-examination scheduled. CBI was appointed to probe case. Decision was taken to make NEET a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format from 2027 onwards.

May 15, the NTA announced the re-examination would take place on 21 Jun 2026.

Jun 21, NEET-UG exam re-conducted seamlessly. Close to 20 lac candidates appeared and 11.21 lac qualified. Candidates appeared from every State and Union Territory of the country, in 13 languages. More than 58% of the qualified candidates were women..

Jul 16, NEET re-exam results declared.

CJP Riots, Brutality and Vandalism:

Jun 6, CJP launched a protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. Jul 16, NEET re-exam results declared.

Jun 16, Delhi Police takes Wangchuk from the protest stage to hospital under directions from the Delhi High Court. Jul 16, NEET re-exam results declared.

Jun 20, with the commencement of Parliament's Monsoon Session, CJP launched a ‘Sansad Chalo’ (March to Parliament). Jul 16, NEET re-exam results declared.

Over the next six days, the protest wreaked mayhem. Unprovoked mobs brutalized the security forces, injured civilians and journalists, attacked people wearing saffron clothes, vandalized police and private property, pelted stones on a temple and petrol pump, displayed vulgarity, raised abusive slogans and hurled profanities at the Hindu Gods, the Prime Minister, elected leaders of the Government, RSS and the Indian Army and security forces and. Slogans in support of Azadi, Umar Khali and the Muslim faith were heard.

Radical agitators operating under the guise of a student protest circulated manipulated videos against the Prime Minister, Police and the Armed Forces.

The student protest descended into a stage-managed effort involving disinformation, anti-national rhetoric and violence aimed at instilling fear in the law enforcement and civil society and weakening national institutions.

Attacks on Security Forces:

Foreign Hand and Funding for CJP Riots:

US Links - on Jul 17, the US Embassy in Delhi released an advisory before actual events transpired predicting that a massive crowd would take over the surrounding Jantar Mantar, Parliament House, and Kishan Ghat in Delhi on July 20 and 21. An alliance of approximately 250 national farmer organizations had planned to arrive in New Delhi on motorcycles and assemble at Kisan Ghat. This fuelled speculation that the protest was preplanned and if it was US sponsored. ‘Substantial disruptions' were expected on the first day of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session where the Foreign Contribution Regulation Bill 2.0 (FCRA 2.0) among other bills would be considered for introduction.

Parallels with the US Deep State's involvement in the violent Nepali protests that overthrew the KP Sharma Oli government in 2025 can't be ruled out. The US Deep State had exploited genuine youth anger, amplified it through covert networks, and directed it towards destabilising a government that did not align with their strategic interests.

In June 2026 several US lawmakers had expressed concern over proposed amendments to India’s proposed FCRA 2.0. ‘India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act imposes onerous and opaque constraints on non-governmental organisations and groups that receive foreign funding, making their daily operations nearly impossible. Any efforts to use FCRA as an excuse to expand persecution or harassment of U.S.-linked Christian ministries by seizing their funds or property would be deeply concerning," a US Senator said.

Islamist organizations like the Students Federation of India (SFI), the AISF, and even the LGBTQ+ protest actors were taking a lead in holding protests at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Sonam Wankchuk – fasted for 26 days as part of the protest as one of its leaders.

Wangchuk had been talking about creating Nepal-regime-change-like violence in India and instigating the people against the Indian government. His threats are linked to the cancellation of his NGO’s FCRA licence in by the Ministry of Home Affairs Government in September 2025 for misuse of foreign funds. The Ladakh Director General of Police, S D Singh Jamwal had accused Wangchuk of being a key person behind violence in 2025 that resulted in the killing of four people and injuring 80. Wangchuk was also arrested for allegedly having Pakistan links.

Back in 2007 a Congress government had also exposed Sonam Wangchuk of misappropriation of foreign funds and having anti-national links with China. It had also accused Wangchuk of illegal occupation of 200 kanals of land without paying government dues.

Abhijit Dipke - He is said to have conceptualized the CJP while in the US at the time the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee publicly expressed concerns over India's proposed FCRA amendment. He returned to India to spearhead the agitation.

In the past Dipke has expressed support for Umar Khalid and the Tukde Tukde gang. Dipke is not a NEET student and has not revealed the nature of his work or purpose of stay in the US.

Saurav Das – got foreign funds for anti-India articles. He is a far-left journalist who has backed urban Naxal-linked agitators, consistently defended accused individuals such as Umar Khalid, and written pieces attacking senior judges and the government’s national-security decisions. He had a public meltdown over the Ayodhya Ram Mandir verdict. OpIndia has published extensive critical coverage of his dismal record and ideological positions.

Das has earlier faced scrutiny for funding links to foreign and non-governmental foundations. A 2023 exposé by The Pamphlet showed that he received support from the Thakur Family Foundation for public health reporting, though his published articles reportedly extended to political topics that are anti-India and anti-government. He also had floated a climate outfit whose connections he is now denies.

Das received a reporting grant from the Pulitzer Centre after the US based group had secured nearly $30 million in multi-year funding support in 2023 for the project “The Dirty Business of India’s Police.” The project examined police shootouts and alleged extrajudicial killings in Uttar Pradesh — a state where supporters of the current government argue that aggressive policing, including encounters, has led to a substantial reduction in crime compared to earlier years.

Shabana Azmi – Azmi appeared at Jantar Mantar on Ju 19 to express solidarity with the CJP.

Azmi chairs the Governing Board of the NGO ActionAid Association (India). It received ₹108 crore in foreign funds for the year ending Mar 2007, categorized under ‘Religious (Christian)’. ActionAid originated in the UK in 1972 as a Christian charity and later repositioned itself as secular.

Influencers – Screen shots circulated on social media of offers to influencers of ₹65,000 for a single reel and story on the CJP campaign.

It also came out that three high-end corporate media influencer marketing companies were hired to push the CJP protest content.

Nearly 10,000 social media posts were reportedly published in support of the CJP riots.

On Jul 23, Actress Akansha Puri, levelled grave allegations of money being offered to members of her fraternity in lieu of being a part of the ongoing protests. She said ‘people who are with me, actors, content creators, they all know that a lot of people, a lot of parties are approaching us to make this a part of marketing, get seen, go to the rally…I don't want to be a part of this garbage.’

Toolkits - A number Toolkits were circulating coaching rioters on how to carry out anti-national protests and evade police arrest.

Arnab Goswami interviewed Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation who put out a toolkit on how to avoid police detection. The ‘toolkit’ suggested measures such as protestors should leave their primary phones at home, lock off any phones fingerprint, face-recognition and unlock features, putting phones into airplane mode and to power-off when police contact looks likely, using encrypted messaging apps like Signal and wearing masks and caps. The toolkit raises obvious questions on why organisations are being allowed to circulate toolkits on how to create disruptive and violent protests in India and who funds them.

Proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 (FRCA 2.0):

The proposed FRCA 2.0 seeks to amend the existing FCRA Act governing the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions to India. One of the key provisions under discussion is the creation of a designated authority empowered to take control of assets created using foreign funds if an organisation’s FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered or ceases to exist.

Amendments are intended to strengthen oversight of foreign funding and ensure that foreign contributions do not adversely affect national security, public order or national interests.

FCRA requires NGOs that receive foreign funds to disclose their sources of funding, maintain separate accounts and submit periodic financial reports.

Initial Investigation and Arrests:

Prior to May 12, investigations identified 42 out of 45 questions from a mock paper traced to a coaching institute in Latur appeared in the actual test. This led to the arrest of Dr Shubham Khairnar from Nashik, Maharashtra who acquired the papers from a primary source and distributed them to students for ₹15 lacs.

Post May 12, the CBI officially took over the investigation. CBI arrested several individuals, including:

PV Kulkarni, Pune-based chemistry professor had access to the question papers as he was involved in the NTA as a translator. Kulkarni was allegedly running special classes where exam questions were dictated along with their correct answers.

Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, biology professor. Questions in handwritten notes by students who attended these classes were found to match the actual exam.

Shivraj Motegaonkar, owner of Renukai Chemistry Classes Coaching Institute in Latur, Maharashtra’s. Motegaonkar had received the chemistry questions in April 2026. Later, he was also seen in a video where the mock questions he gave to his students featured in the actual exam.

Manisha Sanjay Havaldar, headmistress of a Pune based school, was arrested by the CBI on 22 May 2026 for supposedly leaking the physics question paper, which later appeared in the actual exam. She had access to these questions because she was appointed as a subject expert by the NTA.

Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, received the leaked questions from Havaldar and eventually passed them on to Shirure. Shirure and Kulkarni allegedly conducted special coaching sessions for students whose families paid between ₹2 lacs to ₹10 lacs each for each leaked question.

CBI investigators found evidence that the NEET UG 2025 question paper was also compromised by the same racket responsible for the 2026 leak.

Key Government Measures for Better Education after CJP Riots:

Jul 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his government will set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leak cases.

Education Secretary Vineet Joshi was transferred to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and replaced by Naresh Pal Gangwar on 23 July 2026.

Jul 24, the Union Cabinet approved an anti-paper leak bill which proposes stricter punishment, increased jail time and higher fines for the accused.

47 NTA officials were removed. Some of those removed were also to face legal or criminal action.

Jul 25, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns taking responsibility for the NEET paper leak and CJP riots. PM Modi accepts his resignation. CJP protest does not end. Comes up with new demands.

An excellent measure among others that the government/NTA introduced prior to the violence in the CJP protest on Jul 20th, was the isolation/lockdown of NEET re-exam paper setters for approximately 20 days before the test, to prevent questions from being leaked.

CJP Protest Closure and Government Compromise:

Jul 25, CJP called off the protest after 37 days of agitation. In addition to Pradhan's resignation, BJP leaders assured CJP that no action will be taken against organisers and protestors, and no new cases would be registered in connection with the agitation. All FIRs filed against the protesters, in Delhi and in other BJP-ruled and BJP-allied states, would be withdrawn shortly. The government will share copies of all the FIRs filed.

15 to 20 FIRs had been filed in Delhi.

The government also agreed to consider CJP’s 5-point exam reform charter that included the enactment of a New Public Examinations (Transparency. Accountability and Candidates' Rights) Act, under which minimum punishment for organised paper leak networks will be increased from 3 years to 10 years, with confiscation of illegal proceeds, higher fines and permanent debarment. It also agreed to consider a demand for compensation of ₹1 crore for each suicide victim of the NEET exam.

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