51吃瓜

On July 18, Sonam Wangchuk, a 59-year-old environmentalist and education reform campaigner 鈥� who was on a strike for over 20 days in support of the newly formed Cockroach Janta Party ()鈥檚 demands 鈥� was forcefully evacuated from the place of protest by the Delhi police.

This was an attempt to crack down on the peace-abiding, student-led movement that has gripped India in the last few weeks. The CJP is demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan鈥檚 resignation and that compensation be given to the families of the students who died by suicide as a result of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test () being leaked and canceled. 

The swift and deliberate removal of Wangchuk from the protest site triggered an uproar. Members of the CJP had planned to to Parliament on July 20, demanding his release from the hospital where he was being held, Pradhan鈥檚 resignation and compensation of one crore (about $105,000) for each family of students who died by suicide. But the march was abruptly cut short as Delhi police used barricades, tear gas and baton charges at protesters. Several demonstrators were arrested, while others suffered critical injuries 鈥� sparking a more defiant movement. Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor the act of violence against young civilians and the lack of dialogue with them.

The lack of meaningful discourse from the central government 鈥� primarily led by senior officials of the 鈥渦ncle generation鈥� entrenched in bureaucracy 鈥� has left the Generation Z (Gen Z) movement reeling after weeks of protests. Cries for a complete overhaul of the education system and accountability have grown louder and more insistent. The question remains: Will the government listen?

Remark ignites backlash

The movement came about after Chief Justice Surya Kant at a court hearing that 鈥渢here are already parasites in society who attack the system鈥� and added that 鈥渢here are youngsters like cockroaches.鈥� He went on to say that these youngsters don鈥檛 get jobs and that some 鈥渂ecome media,鈥� some 鈥渂ecome social media鈥� and some 鈥渂ecome RTI activists,鈥� who 鈥渟tart attacking everyone.鈥� The RTI here refers to Right to Information laws that promote government transparency, monitor public spending and expose corruption.

The comments, widely perceived as demeaning, sparked immediate disbelief. Although he later clarified that he intended the remark for students with fake law degrees rather than the broader youth population, the backlash was immediate and unforgiving.

What followed was telling: The remarks helped catalyze the CJP, with frustrated young people embracing the symbolism as a rallying banner. Founder Abhijeet Dipke鈥檚 explanation for the name is bluntly satirical: He says it is meant to reflect how sections of society 鈥� especially unemployed youth 鈥� are treated.

Abhijeet Dipke and the momentum online

Dipke, a recent graduate from Boston University, posted what he described as a quick response during the hearing: an online tweet that rapidly gained traction and drew a large of over 22 million. Observers point to the speed of its spread as evidence of a deeper, simmering anger among young Indians who feel shut out, unheard and repeatedly let down by institutions meant to safeguard their future.

The frustration has expanded beyond a single incident into broader political and cultural anger, especially around education and youth employment. The NEET paper leak, coupled with discrepancies in the Central Board of Secondary Education鈥檚 (CBSE) digital valuation, has significantly heightened tensions, prompting the disgruntled youth to demand accountability for the education department鈥檚 unprecedented blunder. This situation has further galvanized students across India, with over 20 individuals dying by . Such a figure is staggering, as each young life lost deserves recognition and reflection.听

When the Times of India Dipke, he mentioned that there was no specific intention or plan behind the movement. However, he believes the surge in support stems from widespread frustration over unemployment. In the since his arrival in India on June 6, he has traveled across the country to rally support and apply pressure. While he had not expected such a large response, he noted that it is one thing to mobilize a large crowd in just a month, but addressing the education system within that same timeframe is nearly impossible. He stressed the importance of keeping democracy alive through vocal advocacy and government accountability. In an open letter dated June 19 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dipke requested the government to offer compensation to the families of the students who died by suicide, urging and prioritizing mental health.

Currently, he has undertaken an indefinite hunger strike in solidarity with Wangchuk and ahead of the planned mass walk toward the parliament. 

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has not issued any statement so far; however, Minister Pradhan the CJP of being a B-team for Congress and the opposition party leader, Rahul Gandhi, who is creating an atmosphere of instability, fear and tension in the country, on CNN-News18.

Hunger strike, sit-ins and a wider coalition

While many call it a Gen Z movement, some older generations are also rallying for the cause. Apart from Wangchuk, nearly 20 other individuals have undertaken the in support of the movement鈥檚 demands. Nearly six weeks since the protest began in soaring temperatures of over 40掳C and rain, some CJP members, including spokesperson , urged supporters not to back out but to stand up and pressure the government to accept their demands. Some protesters who undertook the hunger strike were hospitalized due to deteriorating health.听

Politicians 鈥� both current and former 鈥� Bollywood celebrities and activists from diverse backgrounds have expressed their support. They have urged citizens to take part in the movement, which hopes to bring change to the education system across the country that has failed students time and again. Despite a vast majority of senior supporters, the movement has not received any kind of communication from the government.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI [M]) General Secretary Marian Alexander Baby visited Jantar Mantar 鈥� which protestors have temporarily occupied in of the CJP 鈥� and urged Pradhan to take moral responsibility and step down. He added that the entire education system needs an overhaul and a correction and that the CPI (M) will extend its solidarity toward this unprecedented movement.听

Seeking to draw the government into dialogue, the Samajwadi Party threw its behind the CJP鈥檚 demands, urging engagement with the protestors. The farmers鈥� leader Gurnam Singh Charuni ji has support to CJP.听

Author and political commentator Dr Anand Ranganathan said in a Times of India interview that the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), should have this movement. 鈥淚 believe that BJP and Modi and everyone down has got it completely wrong; the government should have appropriated this movement,鈥� he argued. He further added that anyone who survives corruption in India is a cockroach; Indians are survivors.

The sit-in protest has persisted for over four weeks, showing no signs of resolution. Dipke has condemned the central government鈥檚 inaction and accused it of ignorance and arrogance, despite a brief interaction with Minister of Health Jagat Prakash Nadda. In a Twitter post, Dipke that to seek accountability from the government, it needed repeated paper leaks, student suicides, hunger strikes and millions of shattered dreams. He also claimed that their phones, including WhatsApp chats, were under .听

PRS Legislative Research (non-partisan) reported that India spends about annually on education but sees relatively 鈥渓ow outcomes.鈥� In the Demand for Grants 2025鈥�26 for the Ministry of Education, 鈧�1,28,650 crore (~ $13.37 billion) was allocated 鈥� 13% higher than the revised estimates for 2024鈥�25. However, in 2024鈥�25, expenditure was estimated to be 5% below budget, driven by underspending in school education (7%) and higher education (2%).

Corruption remains a significant concern across India, with widespread allegations of bribery, manipulation and middle-layer rent-seeking. Senior administrators and frontline officials often serve as the interface between the state and the public, and slow, opaque or overly discretionary systems can result in delays and denials. Transparency International鈥檚 Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 the scale of the problem: India scored 39/100 on a scale where zero represents the highest level of perceived corruption. Former Government of India education secretary Anil Swarup, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, has that the education sector is driven by an underground 鈥渕afia鈥� that undermines the essentials of schooling and opportunity.

The unsettled question beneath the protests

The unrest suggests the issue isn鈥檛 overall funding, but how effectively money is allocated and spent within a complex bureaucracy. Witnessing such a large movement is unsettling 鈥� on the surface things seemed calm, but it is clear that something was building as crowds gathered, joined in and cheered on the uprising ahead of the monsoon parliament .

So the movement鈥檚 core question is less about a single hearing and more about a generational reckoning: Is the uncle generation ready to face the new generation of go-getters, who are asking their government for accountability and are desperate for change?

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The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.