Pakistan, July 23 -- What began as an online joke has evolved into one of the most significant protest movements in India being led by young people hoping to change the established political structure and the damage they believe the government has caused.

Calling themselves the "Cockroaches," young Indians are channeling anger over failings in the education system into a broader campaign for government accountability. In doing so, they also have mounted one of the most visible public challenges in recent years to the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The immediate trigger for the protests was public anger over alleged leaks of some of India's most competitive entrance examinations for medical colleges and gov...