India: Cockroaches end protest after minister resigns Published July 25, 2026last updated July 25, 2026What you need to know - India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns - Cockroach movement ends protest in 'good faith' after talks with government - Cockroach Janta Party Founder Abhijeet Dipke says diagnosed with typhoid - Opposition leaders laud GenZ for 'victory' over Modi government Here's a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Saturday, July 25: Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.

UNESCO adds Buddhist holy site Sarnath to World Heritage list The ancient site of Sarnath, one of the eight holiest places of pilgrimage for Buddhists, has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list. The ancient site, said to be the location of the Buddha's first sermon to his disciples after achieving enlightenment, becomes India's 45th World Heritage Site. "For more than 2,500 years, Sarnath has been a place of pilgrimage and inspiration for Buddhists around the world.

It is here that the Buddha delivered his first sermon, sharing teachings of compassion, wisdom and peace that continue to resonate today," Tim Curtis, the director of UNESCO's regional office for South Asia, said in a statement. "Its temples, stupas, and monasteries bear witness to centuries of faith, devotion, and shared human heritage. Safeguarding this exceptional site is our collective responsibility for present and future generations," Curtis said.

Sarnath is located in Varanasi, one of the world's oldest inhabited cities, in Uttar Pradesh. Two protected archaeological sites — the Chaucandi Stupa and the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath, which include the Dhamek Stupe and the Darmarajika Stupa — make up a historic landscape widely known as Deer Park. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is holding its 48th annual session in Busan in South Korea this week, making decisions on various new candidates for inclusion in its World Heritage lists.

Where did the Cockroach Janta Party come from? As the NEET-UG controversy was building, so was the accidental Cockroach Janta Party. That journey began when the Chief Justice of India ridiculed India's youth, likening them to "parasites and cockroaches." The judge has since said his words were taken out of context but it had already struck a cord among India's GenZ.

Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Indian who recently graduated from Boston University with a master's degree in public relations and political strategy, asked "what if all cockroaches came together?" He created a satirical party fashioned after the Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and millions signed up on its website and social media. Dipke successfully tapped into the frustration of young Indians who have long been facing irregularities in education and lack of job opportunities. Slowly, both merged and Dipke began speaking out about the NEET-UG controversy.

Over a month ago, less than a hundred of Cockroach Janta Party members and supporters began camping at Jantar Mantar in the capital Delhi overnight.