'I realised power of cockroach after I dressed up as one': UP man floats CJP spin-off after drawing attention to Yamuna's plight

Lucknow: After the popularity of satirical digital movement 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP), a part-time 'kathavachak' from Uttar Pradesh dressed as a cockroach reached the Yamuna banks in Mathura on May 22, hoping to draw the attention of authorities to Yamuna pollution.

"I realised the power of the cockroach after I dressed up as one," Deepak Sharma, 30, says, noting that he got a call from the Mathura municipal commissioner's office to meet officials on the issue.

Sharma, a social activist and a traditional religious storyteller (kathavachak), has now floated his own 'CJP' or Common Justice Platform.

He says he plans to join hands with Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old Boston graduate who created the 'Cockroach Janata Party', in "the country's interest and to give voice to the youth".

"What if all cockroaches came together," Dipke, a graduate of the Public Relations Programme at Boston University, had posted on X on May 16, hours ahead of the birth of the Cockroach Janata Party which calls itself as "political front of the youth, by the youth, for the youth".

His 'CJP', Sharma says, has been set up with the objective of highlighting "blatant official apathy".

"I realised the power of the cockroach when I dressed as one to raise the issue of Yamuna pollution. I have got a call from the Mathura municipal commissioner's office to meet officials, but I have invited them instead to Yamuna's Keshi Ghat at Mathura to verify facts," he told PTI.

"The main reason behind dressing up as a cockroach was to tap the sudden interest centred on the insect to highlight neglect of the Yamuna river, among other things," Sharma, who is now being referred to as the "cockroach man" by many, said, adding as a "Mathura resident", he felt dismayed by the "official apathy" to a river revered by Hindus.

February 2026 data from the State Pollution Control Board flagged alarming pollution levels in the river Yamuna at key sites such as Keshi Ghat, Vishram Ghat and Gokul Barrage (in Mathura).

KP Singh of the Biodiversity Research and Development Society, who analysed the samples using official data, said, "While basic parameters such as temperature and pH remain within acceptable limits, several critical pollution indicators are far beyond safe standards." The report also found extremely high concentrations of total and faecal coliform bacteria at all locations, indicating severe sewage contamination.

Experts said such conditions make the water unsafe for human consumption and even risky for bathing without proper treatment, while posing a threat to aquatic biodiversity, allowing only pollution-tolerant species to survive.

Sharma, whose father runs an NGO that serves monkeys and cows, says his platform has found many takers in the last couple of days since it was created.

He said the ID cards he has started giving out to volunteers carry the "image of a cockroach".

"Already nearly 800 volunteers have enlisted with my CJP, all willing to identify themselves as cockroaches to shake up the system," he said, adding that CJP is an apolitical movement, which will extend well beyond UP.

"We don't want to contest polls. Our goal is to create a swachh (clean) system," he said, and added that over the last few days he has learnt a lot about cockroaches too.

"These insects are like scavengers of nature, with sharp reflexes and remarkable survival instincts," he said.

Naresh Khandelwal, a resident of Mathura, is among the many volunteers who have enlisted themselves with CJP.

"So far, I am the only one from my family who has joined this platform, but its popularity is growing and my cousin too will be part of it soon," he said.

Not everyone, however, approves. "Nobody wants to have cockroaches in their household. This CJP is backed by opposition parties to destabilise India," said Lucknow-based advocate Ankur Saxena.

Saxena is of the view that platforms like CJP were merely a social media stunt aimed at instigating the people against government policies.

Shekhar Dixit, president of the Rashtriya Kisan Morcha, said the farmers can connect with the analogy as their interests were also being trampled upon.

"In today's context, the condition of the farmers has become that of a cockroach. After hearing and reading news stories about cockroaches, I feel that I have been effectively reduced to a cockroach," he said.

The Morcha has been demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Committee recommendations.