A group of schoolchildren in Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, recently took their demand for better access to school directly to the district administration.
The children from Chandupur and nearby settlements marched several kilometres to the district Collectorate on Tuesday, carrying the tricolour, placards and banners.
Their demand was simple: they want a proper road to their school.
The schoolchildren have since been described as Gen Alpha protesters, with their march drawing attention to the difficulties they face in reaching school.
What happened in Hamirpur?
The children were protesting the condition of a roughly 1.5-km road serving several settlements in the Yamuna belt.
The children were protesting the condition of a roughly 1.5-km road serving several settlements along the Yamuna belt. The stretch had reportedly turned into mud and slush following the rains, making it difficult for residents to travel.
Local residents also said the condition of the road was creating problems for children travelling to school and for families trying to take sick people to hospitals.
The road is reported to serve nearly 3,000 residents across Chandupur and surrounding settlements.
ALSO READ: Who Is Abhijit Dipke? The Brain Behind The Cockroach Janta Party Movement
Why are the children protesting?
No proper road to school
Rain turns the road into mud and slush
Difficult access to school
Nearly 3,000 residents depend on the road
Children are demanding better basic infrastructure
ALSO READ: Why Is CJP Spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya's Burger Video Going Viral?
Children reach Collectorate and block main gate
As the protesters marched towards the Collectorate on Tuesday morning, SDM Sadar Abhishek Kumar and CO Yashpal Singh, accompanied by police personnel, attempted to stop them.
The children continued to the Collectorate and blocked its main gate. Officials tried to persuade them to withdraw the protest, but the children refused to move.
ALSO READ: Who Is Vijeta Dahiya? The Political Researcher And Filmmaker Named As CJP Spokesperson
Abhijeet Dipke backs the children
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das reacted to a video of the protest by saying, “Well done.”
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke later endorsed the protest. Sharing the video on Instagram Stories, he wrote: “This Independence Day, let’s pledge to improve government schools in our villages.”
On X, he wrote: “Salute to these kids who are fighting for their future! All they are asking for is a road to their school. Is that too much to ask after nearly 80 years of Independence? This should have been done decades ago. This 15th August, let’s pledge to work for the children and schools of rural India.
ALSO READ: Can Sonam Wangchuk Be Force-Fed? What Indian Law Actually Says
Why is Dipke talking about rural schools?
The protest came a day after Dipke announced a nationwide campaign focused on improving government schools in villages.
He has called on sarpanches and parents to take what he described as the “social and moral responsibility” of improving basic facilities for children.
Dipke said he plans to begin the campaign from his own village, Hingoli in Maharashtra's Marathwada region, by approaching the local sarpanch about improvements to government schools.
In a video message, Dipke said government schools in villages had been “neglected and ignored” over the years and questioned why rural children often do not have access to facilities available to students in bigger cities.
He specifically referred to basic requirements such as drinking water and washrooms, and said some children in villages still have to walk long distances to attend school.
Dipke has called on people to pledge to the cause on 15 August, India's 80th Independence Day.
