‘Televising our revolution’: India’s Gen Z flips Modi’s social media game

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that youth-led protests in New Delhi over examination paper leaks have become a major social media flashpoint for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The demonstrations, led by the Cockroach Janta Party pressure group, intensified after a July 20 march toward Parliament that protesters say was met with police violence. The article, published July 23, says tens of thousands joined the march and that more than 100 students were injured, while police denied allegations and media reports of excessive force.

According to Al Jazeera, young protesters have used smartphones, memes, short videos and livestream-style documentation to circulate images from the crackdown, including alleged baton charges, tear gas scenes and other confrontations. The report describes students at Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street continuously recording events and turning footage into Instagram reels and viral posts, helping spread protests to cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Patna, Lucknow and Aizawl.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, assurances that criminal cases will not be pursued against demonstrators, and compensation for families of students who died by suicide in connection with exam leaks and cancellations. Al Jazeera frames the movement as a generational challenge to the BJP’s long-standing online dominance, noting that Modi and his party were early and effective users of social media after 2014.

The report’s significance lies in how the protests have shifted political communication: students who distrust mainstream television coverage are using social platforms to document state response, mobilize support and ridicule those in power. The police and government positions beyond the denial of excessive force are not detailed in the supplied text.