The youth protest movement in India gained momentum after a six-word post went viral. This post was published by Abhijit Dipke, a 30-year-old author, and he is now the central figure in the largest street protests against the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took office in 2014.
} , {The post, placed by political communication strategist Dipke on May 16, was initially a witty response to comments by Supreme Court judge Surya Kant, who compared unemployed Indian youth to 'cockroaches' during a speech. Although Kant later stated that his remarks were misinterpreted, Dipke's post had already gone viral.
As a result of this event, a satirical platform called 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP) emerged, which became a gathering point for millions of young Indians. These young people expressed dissatisfaction with high unemployment rates and leaks of examination materials, while also demanding greater accountability from the government.
Over the past week, tens of thousands of people gathered in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The demands were related to the leak of medical entrance exam materials in May, which affected about two million students and was linked to several student suicides. Pradhan resigned on Saturday, which was a significant victory for the young protesters and one of Modi's biggest setbacks.
Protests also took place in other parts of the country, including the financial hub of Mumbai. Dipke is at the center of these events.
Before early June, Dipke was living in Boston, a city in the USA. He then returned to India to start a protest near the Jantar Mantar observatory in the heart of Delhi. Since then, especially after the police detained demonstrators on Monday, he has become a constant figure on the elevated platform at the protest site.
Dipke, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, addresses crowds of hundreds, urging them to remain peaceful while simultaneously pressuring the government. Although CJP has several organizers, Dipke has become the most recognizable figure of this group, drawing both admiration and criticism.
Dipke was born in Aurangabad, in the western state of Maharashtra, into a Dalit community family, which is one of the most historically marginalized in India. He told Reuters in May that his father came from a very humble background, and his grandfather was just a farmer.
His Dalit identity long shaped his political stance. When he arrived in Delhi on June 6, he held up a copy of B.R. Ambedkar's book, 'My Autobiography,' a defender of Dalit rights and a key architect of India's democratic constitution, while supporters and security personnel gathered around him.
In 2020, Dipke joined the social media team of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), where, according to him, he developed a style of political messaging based on memes, humor, and satire. He is currently not affiliated with this party, although AAP and several other opposition parties in India have supported this movement. In 2023, Dipke moved to the United States to pursue a master's degree in public relations in Boston but continued to closely follow Indian politics.
Dipke admits that he is still trying to process his fame. One of the first to amplify the movement's coverage was Delhi YouTuber Meghnaad S. Shortly after Dipke's post, he and a friend used artificial intelligence tools to create a satirical website announcing the formation of the Cockroach Janta Party. Meghnaad noted that the page looked 'wickedly funny.'
The Instagram account gained 22 million followers in a matter of days, and recently this figure increased to 25 million. Meghnaad emphasized that the growth was 'organic.' However, as the online movement grew, so did the stakes. Speaking to Reuters from Boston in May, Dipke stated: 'This movement is aimed at changing the political discourse of India. The youth of India have largely disappeared from the main political discourse.'
Despite threats against himself and his family, Dipke decided to return to India. He stated that he would stay until the students received justice. Since June 6, Dipke has remained at the protest site as demonstrations intensify, often addressing protesters with a call to maintain peace, and also appearing before the media or taking short breaks.
The West Bengal government applied the recently enacted 'Gonda Act' for the first time on Saturday against individuals accused of organizing violence during protests that took place on Friday regarding NEET. This marks the first instance of this legislative act being used since its adoption by the state assembly.
The West Bengal Public Safety and Anti-Social Activity Control Act of 2026 was approved by the assembly after heated debates and was criticized by the opposition as draconian. Earlier this week, Governor RN Ravi ratified the law. Minister Chief Suvendu Adhikari announced this step on Saturday.
Adhikari stated in the assembly: 'I condemn the attack on our journalists on behalf of the entire House. Attacking journalists is unacceptable.' He continued that the 'Gonda Act' would be applied in such a way that these messengers and even their next three generations would remember it. This is precisely why this law was passed.'
The minister informed the assembly that about 70 people identified at the rally in Dharmatala 'are not students' and have no connection to the unrest surrounding the NEET exam leak. Seven complaints of offenses related to the violence that occurred on Friday were registered—six at the Her Street police station and one at the Entally police station, with provisions of the new law included in these cases.
Adhikari emphasized that the police maintained maximum restraint despite repeated provocations because they were given clear instructions not to fall for tricks. The minister asserted that the procession initially proceeded peacefully until 'anti-social elements' appeared from behind and attempted to provoke violence.
According to him, the protest was organized under the banner of the 'March of the Single Cockroach,' announced by a self-proclaimed CJP member, involving student organizations of left and ultra-left leanings, including SFI, DSO, DYSA, and AISF. Adhikari added that in a democracy, everyone has the right to protest peacefully within the law, and the police received special instructions not to act unless the situation completely spiraled out of control.
The minister accused the organizers of throwing shoes and water bottles at the police and then at journalists covering the demonstration when the procession reached the Dorina crossing on the Esplanade. 'They wanted the police to use batons and tear gas. They wanted a spectacle. But the Kolkata Police did not give them that opportunity. The displayed restraint deserves praise,' he stated.
Social activist from India, Sonam Wangchuk, who is reportedly around sixty years old, has become a key figure in the 'Cockroach' movement among the youth. This movement managed to secure the resignation of India's Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, following the scandal involving leaked examination materials, a process aided by Wangchuk's 26-day fast.
Wangchuk is best known for his active campaign concerning issues related to his region in the Himalayas—Ladakh, which borders China. His fast, along with sit-ins by the youth party 'Cockroach Janta Party' against the material leaks that affected millions of students, brought him new attention among young Indians. This allowed the issue to evolve into a broader Gen Z movement, putting pressure on Modi and leading to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.
After Pradhan's resignation, speaking from his hospital bed where he fasted for only about a day, Wangchuk stated: 'This is a victory for democracy, direct democracy... straight from the streets.' He also noted: 'This is a victory for peace, patience, perseverance. Congratulations to CJP, the youth of the nation, and I thank all citizens for freeing themselves from fear and the fear of fear, and for uplifting every corner of the nation.'
Even before the police in Delhi transported him to the hospital a week ago after his fast, some compared Wangchuk to India's freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. He received video and text messages of support from across India, including from Bollywood actors. However, during his fast, he emphasized: 'I am not Gandhi, I am not a hero. I am just an ordinary citizen who does not evade his duties. Do not look for a hero in others. Be the hero of your own life and fulfill your duties.'
Wangchuk, affectionately called 'Sonam Sir' by many (where Sonam means 'dignity' or 'virtue' in some cultures), is one of Ladakh's most prominent public figures. He built his career around projects focused on educational reform and water conservation in the high-altitude desert. For these efforts, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018, known as the 'Nobel Prize of Asia.'
Born in 1966 in the remote village of Ulaytokpo in Ladakh, at the age of 19, while a student at the National Institute of Technology in Kashmir, he began conducting basic subject courses such as English and mathematics, which helped hundreds of students. Later, he founded the Ladakhi Youth Educational and Cultural Movement.
According to Magsaysay's quote, Wangchuk constructed artificial glaciers in the shape of 'ice stupas'—conical ice mountains that accumulate water in winter and melt in summer for irrigation. In recent years, he has become a leading advocate for environmental protection and greater autonomy for Ladakh, which is a federally administered territory. In 2025, he was imprisoned for nearly six months following deadly protests demanding statehood for the region. Wangchuk denied provoking violence.
Indian media reported that his father, Sonam Wangyal, was a minister in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, and former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped lift one of his fasts related to demands for affirmative action for the residents of Ladakh. Wangchuk is married to Gitanjali J. Angmo, who also works in education, and previously stated his willingness to die for his beliefs.
On Saturday, sitting in his hospital bed, Wangchuk, dressed in a striped hospital gown with an identification bracelet, made a sign of victory, stating: 'From accountability to reforms.'
Dozens of detentions in Egypt have been associated with the movement called 'Gen Z'. According to Shorouk Sallam, head of the legal team at the human rights NGO Egyptian Front for Human Rights, the individuals are accused of belonging to a terrorist group, spreading false information, and misusing social media.
Although the arrests began late last year, the pace intensified from mid-May, resulting in 60 people being detained so far. The detainees were linked to a server called GenZ002, created by Anas Habib, an Egyptian activist residing abroad.
Habib incites Egyptian citizens to express their opposition through posters or by distributing leaflets. Furthermore, an online vote was organized to request the removal of the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, as reported by the lawyer.
Anas Habib was arrested in Europe in 2025 due to an alleged attack on the Egyptian embassy in Amsterdam and subsequently for an alleged threat directed at a visit by the Egyptian President to Brussels.
At the beginning of this year, the Discord platform, which is very popular among young people, suffered a temporary block in Egypt. Last year, this same platform played a crucial role in the 'Gen Z' protests held in Nepal and Madagascar, events that led to the fall of governments in those countries.
The Egyptian government faces frequent criticism regarding human rights violations and freedom of expression, especially through a broad campaign of repression against online content creators. This repression has led to the arrest of young influencers and comedians.
The term 'Generation Z', or 'Gen Z', originally referred to a cohort born between the late 1990s and the late 2000s. Currently, it designates spontaneous movements of young people dissatisfied with social disparities, which in 2025 provoked demonstrations and destabilized governments.
