By Jacob Peenikaparambil
Indore, July 27, 2026: The most significant message emerging from the victory of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is not merely the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the education minister, but the realization that there is a limit to the state’s assault on the fundamental rights of its citizens.
Prior to the protest led by young people under the leadership of the CJP, the BJP-RSS [Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s ruling political party, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist paramilitary volunteer organization] combine appeared to believe that it could suppress all dissent by enacting and enforcing draconian laws, capturing democratic institutions, and ideologically indoctrinating a large section of Hindus. The CJP movement has demonstrated that this assumption was mistaken.
The BJP government’s acceptance of the CJP’s demands has shown that when people unite to assert their fundamental rights without fear and are prepared to make sacrifices, it is the state that begins to feel threatened.
Besides the resignation of the Education Minister, media reports indicate that the government has accepted the other demands of the CJP.
These include financial compensation for the family of the students who lost their lives following the NEET [India’s single mandatory national entrance exam for students wanting to study undergraduate medical and dental courses] question paper leak and the withdrawal of FIRs [First Information Report, a written document prepared by the police to start a criminal investigation] filed against peaceful protesters.
The government has also agreed to consider the CJP’s five-point charter on examination systems and reforms in the education sector.
The young people of India have demonstrated that the Gandhian method of non-violent resistance is far from outdated.
While the Gen Z protesters in neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh resorted to large-scale violence and destruction during their agitations, the youth of India remained largely committed to non-violent resistance.
It is true that anti-social elements often infiltrate peaceful movements in an attempt to discredit them. According to media reports, such incidents also occurred during the Sansad March on 20 July under the leadership of the CJP.
Before the CJP launched its protest movement, a pervasive sense of fear existed not only among opposition politicians but also among ordinary citizens because of the indiscriminate use of draconian laws, the ruthless suppression of dissent, and the violence unleashed by right-wing groups.
During the protests, however, the youth displayed extraordinary courage by criticizing the ruling regime through a variety of creative and peaceful means.
They used hand-drawn posters and colourful banners, transforming political frustration into accessible and biting art.
They reclaimed derogatory labels used against them and turned them into symbols of collective defiance, such as the imagery associated with the Cockroach Janata Party.
They employed traditional musical instruments like daflis (small hand drums), chimes, and everyday utensils such as plates and spoons to attract public attention.
They also spread sharp political commentary, slogans, and counter-cultural memes across social media platforms to mobilize public support.
In many ways, the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent resistance was reincarnated through these young people, making it relevant and appealing to a new generation.
These creative methods stood in stark contrast to the arrogance, hatred, and violence often displayed by certain political parties and their affiliates.
During the protest at Jantar Mantar, the cooperation and support extended by civil society organizations were both encouraging and inspiring. Volunteers distributed food and pizza to the protesters and even fanned security personnel on duty, thereby contrasting aggressive police action with acts of compassion and care.
Their message was simple yet powerful: “You may distribute batons; we will distribute love.”
They also expressed solidarity through spontaneous singing, clapping, and collective efforts such as cleaning the protest site and picking up trash, thereby demonstrating discipline, unity, and civic responsibility.
Civil society organizations have long been targets of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regime because of their advocacy for human rights, the community rights of Adivasis, their opposition to the transfer of jal (water), jungle, and jameen (land) to greedy corporate interests, and their resistance to environmentally destructive projects.
Because they challenged government policies, these organizations were frequently branded by the BJP, the pro-government media, and the BJP’s IT Cell as Naxalites [far-left Maoist insurgents], and anti-nationals.
Many were subjected to raids by agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Income Tax Department, while stringent amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) severely restricted their sources of funding.
The extraordinary courage displayed by certain young protesters during the CJP movement inspired countless others.
One notable example was Rhiya Ahir, a 27-year-old actor, model, and entrepreneur, who became the defining face of Mumbai’s student protests.
She stood in front of a moving Mumbai Police van for nearly forty minutes, ultimately securing the release of the detained students inside.
Ahir first approached the police officers politely and requested a formal detention memo. When they failed to produce one and attempted to drive away, she courageously stood directly in front of the vehicle and refused to move until the authorities released the students.
Her actions demonstrated both the relevance and the effectiveness of non-violent resistance in confronting illegal actions by the police.
Such courageous acts also appeared to influence judicial thinking. In this context, the observations made by Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on 25 July are particularly significant:
“Right to express one’s views and right to demonstrate peacefully are fundamental freedoms of citizens. Debate and dissent are the essence of democracy.
“Unfortunately, even normal activities are being criminalized. People who come to voice their anguish over environmental degradation, which is a reality, are chased away as if they are criminals.
“Students protesting on campuses are arrested and often do not get bail for 30 to 40 days. They are suspended and then have to approach the courts, which takes time.”
Before the CJP protests, a deep sense of hopelessness prevailed among freedom-loving citizens and opposition parties alike. The BJP’s electoral victories in Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam, preceded by the highly controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted by what many perceived to be a partisan Election Commission, further deepened this despair.
The defection of twenty Trinamool Congress MPs and six Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) MPs to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), along with reports of possible defections from the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav, added to the growing sense of political demoralization.
A combination of electoral setbacks, organizational weakening, and perceived institutional bias created an atmosphere of fragmentation and hopelessness within the opposition.
The CJP-led youth movement has infused fresh energy and hope into opposition parties, civil society organizations, and all those committed to secular democracy and the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
The momentum generated by the movement compelled opposition parties to coordinate their efforts more vigorously.
Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and other opposition lawmakers organized large demonstrations and repeatedly disrupted parliamentary proceedings in solidarity with the protesting students.
This momentum must now be sustained and strengthened if democracy and the Indian Constitution are to be protected from what many perceive as the growing onslaught of authoritarian and fascist forces.
Jacob Peenikaparambil is a writer, as well as a trainer and consultant for non-profit organizations. He currently serves as the National Coordinator of the Universal Solidarity Movement (USM), Indore. He can be reached at jacobpt48@gmail.com.