New Delhi: The CJP protest unfolded at Jantar Mantar, on the streets where thousands battled police batons and quickly segued into social media with a distinctly Gen Z flavour as memes, music and mirth accompanied demands for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
As the protests gain steam in the national capital and across cities such as Mumbai, Indore, Udaipur and Hyderabad, Instagram and X have become extensions of the demonstration with participants mixing political messaging with viral internet trends.
With a generous lashing of creativity and a dash of sarcasm, Gen Z’s hyper referential humour that thrives on layers of irony took it all on – from calling for Pradhan’s resignation and commenting on joblessness to police action during the July 20 march and environment concerns.
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While one Instagram user mocked the delay in Pradhan’s resignation, saying, “Employment opportunities are low in our country; that’s why Pradhan is not resigning”, another drew parallels with corporate life, quipping that the minister was probably waiting to receive his month’s salary before stepping down “to avoid the financial crunch during the full-and-final settlement”.
“Ho sakta hai Dharmendra Pradhan ke paas dusra offer na ho, isliye resign nahi kar raha. (Possibly Dharmendra Pradhan doesn’t have another job offer that’s why he is not resigning),” said a post on X.
When protesters on their way to Parliament were met with Delhi Police and other paramilitary forces that resorted to lathi charge and firing teargas shells, short videos on social media gave the day’s ordeals sharp satirical spins.
Running protesters posted videos with songs such as “Chak De India”, “Bhag Milkha”, “Bhag DK Bose” and “Gangnam Style”.
The music of popular mobile game Subway Surfer, in which the player tries to escape a policeman, found itself in several viral videos as protesters made a run for it. “Thanks for the cardio, Delhi Police!” it said.
“Parliament ki doorbell baja ke bhag gaya! (Rang Parliament’s doorbell and took off!)” said a reel to the music of “Chak De India”.
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The message hit hard when a YouTuber and rapper, who goes by the name of Garam Kalakar, posted a short video putting together the events of July 20.
“Kal Jantar Mantar pe kya dekha? Chhatron me bhara tha junoon dekha, Delhi police pe sawar maine khoon dekha. Civil dress me gundo ki dhun dekha, aur vardi walon ki nameplate gum dekha. Chote baccho pe utha hua hath dekha, bade budhon ko mara tumne laat dekha.
“(What did I witness at Jantar Mantar yesterday? I saw students filled with passion and resolve, I saw bloodlust riding the Delhi Police. I saw thugs in plain clothes at work, and uniformed officers with their nameplates missing. I saw hands raised against young children, and I saw elderly people being kicked),” he sings.
Several protesters also shared “GRWM” (Get Ready With Me) and “OOTD” (Outfit of the Day) reels before heading to the march, documenting their outfits and participation alongside updates from the protest site.
Dressed in an indigo kurta, one content creator posted a snarky GRWM video.
“Get ready with me to witness the downfall of the government. I am wearing a spine, some jhumkas and my constitutional right to oh… Never mind!” she wrote. Another young woman proudly showed off her eyeliner that did not come off during the trying day of the protest march because her “foundation is strong, unlike the government”. Environmental concerns, too, found their way into the protest’s online humour. Referring to the use of teargas, a user on X posted, “Delhi Police, please don’t use tear gas. It pollutes the city. Then we’ll also have to ask for the environment minister’s resignation.” “Unlike petrol blended with E20, the tear gas used during the protest was 100 per cent authentic and without adulteration,” another wrote on X.
Amid allegations of police excesses during the protest, a participant employed irony, posting, “I am totally safe here. There are a lot of police around me. Nobody can hit me.” In a video shared online, a YouTuber asked a protester why Pradhan had still not resigned. Without breaking into a smile, the protester replied that it was a “masterstroke” by the BJP-led Centre and that its positive outcomes would be visible in “Dhurandhar 3”.
The Aditya Dhar film was referenced both online and onsite for its allegedly propaganda-driven narrative.
“Fun fact: Protest site pe Rang De Basanti aur Swades ke gaane baj rahe hain; Dhurandhar ke nahi. (They are playing songs of Rang De Basanti and Swades at the protest site, not of Dhurandhar),” one person wrote on X.
It was not just colourful slogans and inventive placards. Superheroes also made an appearance at protest sites across different cities as videos made round of protesters cosplaying as Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, and Iron Man.
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Real life heroes like Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar were also “revived” for “the latest season”.
In a video shared widely across all social media platforms, a man dressed as actor Aamir Khan’s alien character from “PK” said he had to come since the “real one was busy getting married”, a tongue in cheek reference to the star who got married recently.
When asked how he was going to protect himself, he pulled out pictures of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and stuck them to his face with a smile.
And what is a day of dissent without some bleeding hearts? Many tapped into their lovelorn selves and found motivation to send out a text to “them”. “Aaj tear gas ke fog me unko yaad karke ro diya. (I cried remembering them in the fog of the tear gas),” one put a video of reddened eyes.
Another posted with a picture lying on the ground, “Itna ignore to usne bhi nahi kiya tha (Even they didn’t ignore me so much!).” In a lighter take on the popular “aapda mein avsar” phrase, a protester suggested that all single men and women should attend the march because it was “an ideal place to find a partner”.
The Cockroach Janta Party, which started online following a comment by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referring to unemployed youth as cockroaches, has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since June 20 demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET question paper leak and other examination irregularities. The protest has since spread across the country with thousands of students joining in.
