Youth-led Protest, Resilience and Humanity

Youth-led Protest, Resilience and Humanity

MOHAN KHOUND

Lazim haike hum bhi dekhenge– the famous lines from the poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz have since been adopted as an idiom of protest, resilience, and the claim to one’s rights. The ongoing student protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), asking the government for accountability in the context of the NEET exam paper leak, is a display of such resilience and hope. What began with a few has now become a wildfire catching hold across the nation, and social media platforms such as Instagram are witness to it. 

While certain outlets, especially those circulating on platforms such as WhatsApp, continue to label the protesting students as violent, internationally funded, terrorist-led, or manipulated by opposition parties, the scenes from protest sites tell a different story.

They depict a story of humanity, deep solidarity, belongingness and unity. The remarkable number of protestors from all walks of life and all ages showcases the wide support the primary protestors, the students, have been able to amass.

People from different states across India travelled to join the ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest on 20th July at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, and participation continues in the following days. Those who cannot travel to New Delhi are supporting the movement in their own ways. Many people from different states are sending food via food delivery platforms for the protestors at Jantar Mantar.

Organisers and volunteers at Jantar Mantar are distributing water, food, and even shoes to participants. Temporary medical stations equipped with basic medicationand medical personnel are in place. As the heat and humidity rise, volunteers are seen constantly fanning the crowd with hand fans.

The organisers are managing the crowd to prevent stampedes by forming queues for participants to enter and exit the main stage area and by taking special care when women and children are going through extremely crowded spaces.

Many volunteers are also bringing cleaning supplies such as brooms to the protest site and cleaning up the waste generated there. Protesters are creating graffiti and paintings, singing songs, and making many, many reels. The protest site at Jantar Mantar thus reflects the coming together of strangers from all over India who have found affinity with the spirit of mobilisation.

The protest was sparked by the suicides of young students following the NEET paper leak. The protesters are demanding accountability to guarantee fair examinations on which the future of millions depends. The movement, which has now transcended the CJP and Jantar Mantar and spread much wider, has become one of India’s biggest youth-led movements in years. 

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