Video from 2010 falsely shared as Arundhati Roy’s remark on Kashmir at Cockroach Janta Party protest

Author and activist Arundhati Roy visited the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi on 5 July 2026 to express solidarity with the ongoing agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The demonstration demands the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over widespread irregularities and paper leaks in national entrance examinations like NEET-UG.

Following this, a video of Arundhati Roy is going viral on social media with the claim that it shows her saying that Kashmir is not an integral part of India while speaking at a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. 

Let’s check the truth.

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Fact check:

We started our investigation with a reverse image search on Google, whose results led us to a video uploaded on YouTube by Tehelka TV on 30 October 2010, under the caption “Arundhati Roy at the ‘Azaadi – The Only Way Ahead’ conference in New Delhi, 21st October.” According to the video description, Arundhati Roy’s talk at the “Azadi—The Only Way Ahead” convention on Kashmir’ conference at the LTG auditorium, New Delhi, 21st October. The description also notes that the first few minutes of the speech are missing.

This indicates that the viral video is from 2010, years before the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was formed, and not related to its recent protest at Jantar Mantar.

Moving forward, we found a report published by India Today on 26 October 2010 has also cited the image of Arundhati Roy, and the caption reads, “Writer-activist Arundhati Roy delivering a speech to the audience at a convention in New Delhi.” As per the report, Arundhati Roy was accompanied by Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other leaders at the ‘Azadi—The Only Way’ convention held on 21 October 2010. Delhi police filed a case against Geelani and Roy over their remarks in the convention. 

In June 2024, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena granted Arundhati Roy’s prosecution under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for remarks she made at the 2010 conference in Delhi.

So, based on this evidence, we can understand that the viral video does not show Arundhati Roy speaking at a Cockroach Janta Party protest. It is footage from a conference held in New Delhi in 2010. 

Conclusion

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the video to be Misleading. This video shows Arundhati Roy’s remarks on Kashmir from the 2010 Azadi conference. It is not related to the Cockroach Janata Party’s recent protest in Delhi.