Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Gen Alpha protests sweep India demanding better schools and amenities
Kids in India are marching and sitting together to ask for better schools and roads.
These kids belong to a generation called Gen Alpha, the group born after Gen Z. It all started when older students protested because a big medical entrance exam leaked before the test.
People were also very sad that at least 22 students died by suicide, and they wanted leaders to take responsibility.
A group called the Cockroach Janta Party, which began as a funny Instagram page, helped lead the protests.
After the protests, India's education minister resigned.
Now younger students are doing their own peaceful protests in many states.
They are asking for clean drinking water, working fans, more teachers, and safe roads to school.
Some students in Maharashtra walk 7 kilometres in heavy rain because there is no bus.
The protest leaders say they just want schools where every child can learn safely.
Gen Alpha schoolchildren across several Indian states are protesting for better schools, roads and basic amenities.
The protests follow the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical Instagram page started on May 17 after Chief Justice Surya Kant called unemployed youth 'cockroaches'.
CJP protests at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar over the NEET-UG paper leak and the deaths by suicide of at least 22 students ended with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on July 25.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the group launched a 'School Thik Karo' campaign on Independence Day to improve government schools in villages; protests also spread to Jharkhand over JPSC and JSSC exam irregularities.
Recent protests include a march to a DM's office in Hamirpur, a 1,500-student sit-in in Fatehpur, teacher-deployment protests in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and a bus-fare protest in Madhya Pradesh.
Students in Khetapur village, Maharashtra, appealed for an official MSRTC bus service, walking or cycling long distances to school in the monsoon.
- Who
- Gen Alpha school students across several Indian states, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, and district officials responding to their demands.
- What
- A wave of student protests demanding better government schools, roads, drinking water, teachers and basic amenities, following the CJP's successful protest over the NEET-UG paper leak.
- When
- The CJP protest at Jantar Mantar ended with the education minister's resignation on July 25; Gen Alpha protests were reported between July 28 and August 11, 2026.
- Where
- New Delhi (Jantar Mantar) and the Indian states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- Why
- Students say poor school conditions, vacant teaching posts, bad roads and lack of amenities are hurting their studies and exam preparation.
- CJP origin
- Satirical Instagram page started May 17 after CJI Surya Kant's 'cockroaches' remark on May 15
- CJP demand
- Accountability from the Education Ministry for the NEET-UG paper leak and deaths by suicide of at least 22 students
- Minister resignation
- Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25
- CJP campaign
- 'School Thik Karo' launched on Independence Day to improve village government schools
- Hamirpur protest
- Students marched to the District Magistrate's office on August 11 demanding a paved road
- Fatehpur sit-in
- About 1,500 students of Sarvodaya Inter College held a four-hour sit-in on July 28, 2026
- Bihar protest
- Over 40 students of Simuara Middle School in Gaya marched to the Tikari Sub-Divisional Office on July 30
- Maharashtra
- Class 10 students in Sonari village held an indefinite sit-in over vacant teacher posts; Khetapur students appealed for an MSRTC bus service