A social activist in Mathura, protesting pollution in the Yamuna river, arrived at the municipal corporation office dressed as a cockroach, singing and dancing in a stunt that appeared to draw inspiration from the recently launched satirical ‘Cockroach Janata Party’ (CJP).

Clad in a cockroach costume, activist Deepak Sharma said on Friday that the condition of the Yamuna would worsen unless authorities acted urgently.

Sharma said he was compelled to adopt the unusual guise to open the eyes of “incompetent” officials, accusing them of turning a blind eye to the river’s pollution and mounting civic filth in the city.

The protest comes days after the emergence of the CJP, a satirical social media platform that has sought to capitalise on the controversy over remarks attributed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant likening certain youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing. The platform has also launched a campaign demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

The CJI later clarified that his observations, directed at people entering the legal profession using “fake and bogus degrees”, had been misquoted.

Municipal officials did not comment on Sharma’s protest. At the civic body office in Mathura, crowds gathered to watch the activist, with many recording videos on their mobile phones.

“We, the residents of Braj, perform the aachaman ritual of sipping water from the Yamuna. Yet, despite years of promises to rid the river of pollution, nothing has been done. Be it Mathura or Vrindavan, polluted water and sewage from filthy drains can be seen flowing openly into the river,” Sharma said, alleging official apathy.

Citing the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, he said releasing sewage and polluted water into rivers was a punishable offence. “The Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal have also clarified that direct discharge of sewage and drain water into any river is a criminal act,” he said.

Sharma also urged citizens to join him in filing FIRs against officials whom he accused of violating the very rules they were tasked with enforcing. As part of his protest, the activist also stood in front of vehicles belonging to senior officials.

With PTI inputs