Bihar’s Youth Raise Their Voice

Against Exam Irregularities, Repression &
Assault on Education

Students and youth from across Bihar gathered at Shri Krishna Memorial Hall, Patna, on September 6, 2026, for the ‘GenZ Rising’ programme organised by AISA and RYA, to discuss education, employment, examination irregularities, police repression, democracy and the right to protest. 

In the first session, ‘Julm Phir Julm Hai, Badhta Hai To Mit Jata Hai’, Vishal, who faced police brutality, Arif, a victim of police firing in Siwan, and Saba, a Patna University student leader jailed during the movement, spoke of repression and resistance, while Naveen, father of a NEET crisis victim in Jehanabad, questioned the education and examination systems. The second session, ‘Awaaz-e-Aandolan’, heard Professor Chintu Kumari, who demanded repeal of the new university legislation, Paliganj CPIML MLA Sandeep Saurav, RYA National President Ajit Kushwaha, JPSC movement leader Habiba and Irfan of the Jantar Mantar movement. 

Comrade Saurav asked what kind of system leaves Class 6 children struggling with Class 2 books, citing budget cuts and the imprisonment of those who raise questions. Habiba said poor students prepare for years only to face paper leaks. Comrade Ajit said the government answers student-youth demands with lathis. Satirist and Professor Dr Medusa urged circulating truthful, progressive content online.

AISA All India President Neha said the repression unleashed by the Samrat government exposed its face, citing the assault on the father of students such as Aditya, the persecution of AISA leader Saba Afreen, including over her religious identity, and the portrayal of students as criminals in newspapers. The government, she said, would be held accountable for this repression, for violence and rape against women and girls, for questions on voting rights and citizenship arising from the SIR process, and for irregularities in the 70th BPSC and Daroga recruitment examinations. She urged students and young people to unite around rights, education, employment, democracy and social justice, and build a broader movement against repression, injustice and corruption.

CPIML General Secretary Comrade Dipankar called for the ‘School Theek Karo, Shiksha Sudharo’ campaign to become a broad people’s movement, saying Bihar’s school education has suffered its greatest destruction in two decades. He said renaming and upgradation of schools have brought no improvement, and “Upgraded schools have been turned into oppressed schools in Bihar”. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Instagram comments on the movement reflected a cultural shock to the government and provoked hooliganism and violence. “Young people’s questionscannot be answered through repression,” he said and welcomed the Supreme Court’s position on withdrawal of cases, and added that the cases against the farmers’ movement and Shaheen Bagh must also be withdrawn.

Gen-Z Mahajutan Yatra in Uttar Pradesh

The Gen-Z Mahajutan Yatra in Uttar Pradesh began on September 9 in Allahabad and passed through BHU (Varanasi), Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, Faizabad, and Lucknow, before concluding in Rae Bareli. In the yatra were AISA President Comrade Neha, AISA Uttar Pradesh President Comrade Manish Kumar, and JNUSU Join Secretary Comrade Danish who joined the yatra in Allahabad. 

It raised several important issues, including repression of student activists, teacher recruitment, withdrawal of new rules for TGT-PGT recruitment, issues pertaining to ASHA workers, panchayat assistants, aapda mitras, and others were raised, along with demands for dignified wages for these workers. The yatra also raised demands for restoration of student union elections, halt to fee hikes, end to fund cuts and number of seats,  and to RSS interference in campuses.

The yatra also raised demands for the restoration of student unions in universities and colleges, a halt to fee hikes, an end to the increasing interference of the RSS in campuses, and a stop to cuts in educational funding and seats.

The yatra was successful despite police intimidation, repression, and harassment of AISA activists. 

Life Threats to President Neha: AISA Lodges Complaint 

AISA has condemned the series of threatening and abusive messages sent to AISA All India President Neha during the ongoing GenZ Rising campaign in Uttar Pradesh. A voice note explicitly stated that "her death is certain." This is an attempt to suppress political dissent through fear and violence, and on that note, AISA has written to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, demanding that an FIR be registered, that those sending the threats be identified, and to ensure Neha’s physical safety during the course of the campaign.

AISA called upon all democratic-minded citizens, student organizations, and civil society to speak out against this culture of threat and intimidation targeting young activists.