NEW DELHI: India’s opposition Congress party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of using force to suppress student protests, saying young people demanding reforms to the education and recruitment systems have faced violence, arrests and legal pressure.
Congress lawmaker Syed Naseer Hussain, a member of the Rajya Sabha, said the government had resorted to force when questions raised by students became uncomfortable.
“When people react, they are labelled dimagi naxals,” Hussain said, referring to a term used to portray critics as mentally radical or disruptive.
The Congress lawmaker said the brutality during student protests in Bihar was visible in the injuries suffered by young people he had met.
“Some of these students have been left paralysed,” Hussain said, adding that some had permanent scars on their legs.
He questioned why young protesters demanding a fair education system should face such violence.
“They are not criminals. They are young Indians whose lives and dreams have been shattered by failed examinations, a broken recruitment system and failed governance,” he said.
The brutality of the BJP-led government during the Bihar student protests is visible in the bodies and lives of the young people I have met.
Some of these students have been left paralysed. Their legs bear permanent scars of the violence unleashed against them for demanding a… pic.twitter.com/wpXRopo9SW
— Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, M P (@NasirHussainINC) September 11, 2026
Hussain pledged that the Congress would continue to support the students and campaign for justice.
The government has faced growing criticism from opposition parties and student groups over the handling of protests and concerns surrounding examinations, recruitment and employment.
Meanwhile, a case in Uttar Pradesh has also raised questions about the enforcement of restrictions against student protesters.
On September 1, the Supreme Court ordered that first information reports registered across India in connection with student protests held between July 20 and July 25 should not be pursued or investigated and should be treated as closed.
Growing disillusionment with Modi govt
Congress General Secretary and Communications in Charge Jairam Ramesh has also spoken of growing disillusionment with the Modi government.
Ramesh has argued that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s political narrative is losing its appeal amid growing frustration over polarisation and political name-calling.
He has also discussed Congress efforts to reach young voters and the changing public image and communication style of opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
Ramesh said the student protests reflected broader concerns among young Indians and could become an important political issue if the opposition succeeds in converting public anger into electoral support.
He has also raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, potential disenfranchisement and declining autonomy of constitutional institutions.
Ramesh has accused the government of contributing to the institutional capture of the judiciary, constitutional bodies, universities and media since 2014. These are political allegations by the Congress and have not been independently established in the material provided.
‘Cockroach’ protests become a national movement
At the centre of the recent student mobilisation is 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke, founder and public face of India’s Gen Z “Cockroach” protests.
Dipke, who recently completed a master’s degree in public relations at Boston University, has quickly gained national recognition.
He previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for three years before moving to the United States.
His involvement in the protests began on May 16, when he posted on X: “What if all cockroaches come together?”
The post followed a remark by Chief Justice Surya Kant in which he likened jobless youngsters to cockroaches.
Dipke said he wrote the post spontaneously while playing a video game and had no expectation that it would develop into a major movement.
After receiving tens of thousands of responses, he joined former colleagues and activists to launch the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The party’s name referred both to the chief justice’s remark and to Prime Minister Modi’s BJP.
The campaign subsequently faced strong criticism and online trolling from government supporters.
Dipke said the CJP website and X account were briefly blocked in India. He said X and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology later informed him that the account had been withheld under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.
