Listening to Cockroaches: Why the ‘GenZ’ Jantar Mantar protest is different from any seen before | In Focus podcast
This podcast episode explores the recent student-led protests in India against endemic exam paper leaks. It analyzes whether this movement represents a unique political challenge to the current government compared to previous mass protests.
Why it matters
It examines the potential for youth-led movements to shift the political landscape in India, specifically regarding government accountability in education.
“What if all the cockroaches come together?” That was the one-line tweet, put out by Boston-returned Abhijeet Dipke, on May 16, 2026. In less than two months, we are witness to the ‘cockroaches’ – India’s youth -- coming together to protest at Jantar Mantar, and in different parts of the country.
But this student protest against endemic exam paper leaks is not the first show of mass dissent against the Narendra Modi government. Before this, there has been a farmers’ movement, the anti-CAA protests, and several other protest mobilisations by workers, Dalits, and adivasi communities.
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