Schoolchildren from Chandupur and neighbouring villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district marched several kilometres to the district Collectorate on Tuesday, demanding repairs to a damaged road that residents say has made daily travel increasingly difficult. The children, accompanied by parents and other villagers, carried the national flag, banners and placards during the march. On reaching the Collectorate, they blocked its main entrance to press authorities to address their demand. The protest drew support from Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das, who reacted to a video of the demonstration with the message, “Well done.”
The protest centres on an approximately 1.5-km road that provides crucial connectivity to several settlements along the Yamuna belt. Residents said the stretch has deteriorated into mud and slush following rainfall, creating difficulties for people travelling between the villages and other areas. Nearly 3,000 residents are dependent on the road, which serves Chandupur and several nearby settlements, including Brahma ka Dera, Banvasi ka Dera, Athbhaiyan ka Dera, Bachchi ka Dera, Bhikhua ka Dera, Gusai Baba ka Dera and Gangwa ka Dera. Villagers said the poor condition of the road has particularly affected schoolchildren, who struggle to reach their schools. Residents also claimed that transporting patients to hospitals during medical emergencies has become difficult.
As the protesters headed towards the Collectorate on Tuesday morning, Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Abhishek Kumar and Circle Officer Yashpal Singh, along with police personnel, reached the route and attempted to stop the march. The children, however, continued towards the Collectorate and eventually gathered at its main gate. Officials attempted to persuade them to end their demonstration, but the protesters refused to leave and blocked the entrance. The blockade also prevented officials and employees inside the premises from leaving for some time.
The demonstration has attracted attention on social media, where it has been described as a “Gen Alpha” protest because of the young age of the participants.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also extended support to the demonstration, sharing a video of the protest on his Instagram Stories. “This Independence Day, let’s pledge to improve government schools in our villages,” Dipke said. His remarks came a day after he announced a campaign aimed at improving government schools in rural areas across the country.
Dipke has urged village sarpanches and parents to take greater responsibility for ensuring that children studying in government schools have access to basic infrastructure and facilities. He has called on people to make a pledge towards improving rural government schools on August 15, when India marks its 80th Independence Day.
Dipke has said he will begin the initiative from his village, Hingoli, in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region, where he plans to approach the local sarpanch seeking improvements in government schools. He has argued that many children in rural India continue to travel long distances to attend school while lacking basic facilities such as clean drinking water and functional washrooms. The CJP has increasingly focused on education and student-related issues in recent months. Its earlier activities included protests over the NEET paper leak, including an agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar attended by students and parents from different parts of the country. The group has since announced a wider youth-focused campaign and recently launched its nationwide “Kya Bolti Public” initiative to identify issues concerning citizens, with education set to be among its first areas of focus.