Lucknow: The student-led Gen Z protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar is resonating far beyond the national capital. Its influence has now reached a small town in Uttar Pradesh, where more than 1,500 students from Classes 6 to 12 staged a protest demanding better basic facilities in their school.
Students of the Sarvodaya Inter College in Fatehpur district staged a sit-in protest Tuesday against the lack of basic facilities in their school, forcing the administration to accept most of their demands. While the demonstration was widely discussed on social media as a ‘Gen Alpha protest’, school authorities said it was planned by a group of senior students who had recently returned after participating in the Jantar Mantar agitation in Delhi.
The protest was led by four Class 12 students who had attended the Jantar Mantar movement against the alleged NEET paper leak. Inspired by that experience, the group decided to organise a similar demonstration in their own school over long-pending issues such as the lack of clean drinking water, poor sanitation, inadequate classroom infrastructure and insufficient sports facilities.
Speaking to ThePrint, school principal Lal Bahadur Singh said he was taken by surprise when he reached the campus Tuesday morning.
“When I arrived, teachers informed me that students had refused to attend classes and had instead staged Dharna (sit-in protest). At that point I had no idea that Ankur Sonkar (a Class XII student), who was leading the agitation had recently participated in the Jantar Mantar movement. Later, I saw videos showing him there. We explained to the students that such protests involving very young children should be avoided and assured them that their grievances would be resolved but it took six hours to convince them,” Singh said.
Ankur said he had been deeply influenced by education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk. In videos recorded during the Jantar Mantar protest, he appealed to young people to support Wangchuk’s campaign, saying, “Support Sonam sir. If we do not support good people, whom will we support? Fight for your rights.”
According to Ankur, the students demanded clean drinking water through an RO system, new toilets, four fans in every classroom, better sports facilities and improved basic infrastructure. Following the protest, the administration agreed to address most of their demands, after which the students called off the agitation.
6 hours sit-in-protest, Ambedkar placards in hand
ThePrint has learnt that the protest began around 7.30 am when more than 1,500 students from Classes 6 to 12 assembled inside the school campus carrying placards and photographs of Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
Students alleged that the school had been facing chronic problems related to electricity, drinking water, sanitation and inadequate classroom facilities, all of which were adversely affecting their studies. They also accused some teachers of misbehaving with students and warned that the agitation would intensify if their demands were ignored.
As news of the Gen Alpha protest spread, school authorities and local police attempted to persuade the students to return to their classrooms, but the students insisted that senior district officials visit the school before ending their agitation.
District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) Rakesh Kumar, Nayab Tehsildar Nitin Kumar and other administrative officials subsequently reached the campus and held discussions with an eight-member student delegation. Following the meeting, officials agreed in writing to seven of the students’ eight demands, after which the protest ended in the late afternoon.
The administration assured the students that four fans would be installed in every classroom, faulty electrical wiring would be repaired, and an RO plant would be set up to provide safe drinking water. It also promised regular cleaning of toilets, maintenance of the sports ground, better quality and quantity of mid-day meals, and additional benches in classrooms that lack adequate furniture within a month.
The only demand that was not accepted immediately was the introduction of a science stream. For that, the school has been asked to send a proposal to the state government for approval.
DIOS Rakesh Kumar said the administration had instructed the school management to ensure that students no longer faced inconvenience due to poor infrastructure.
What triggered the protest
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a student told ThePrint that the protest was triggered by an incident a few days earlier when a teacher allegedly misbehaved with some girls after they complained about broken fans in their classroom.
“When the girls complained, the teacher told them, ‘Tu baith ja chup chap‘ (‘sit down quietly’),” the student said. “After that, more female students came together and informed the male students about what had happened. A group of students then approached the principal with the complaint, but they felt he ignored the issue.”
According to the student, the matter gained momentum after senior student Ankur Sonkar and his classmates learned about the incident. “They decided to organise a protest, combining this issue with other long-pending demands such as clean drinking water, better toilets, fans and other basic facilities,” the student said.
Fatehpur District Magistrate Nidhi Gupta Vats Wednesday also confirmed that all demands, except the request for science stream recognition, had been accepted and that work to improve electricity, drinking water, and sanitation facilities had already begun. Speaking to the media, she said, “Almost all issues have been sorted out. Now the school is functioning normally. I also heard that some of the students went to Jantar Mantar and got inspired from there but I have not verified this yet.”
The episode has triggered widespread discussion on social media with many describing it as the country’s first ‘Gen Alpha protest’ inspired by the success of the Gen Z movement at Jantar Mantar. Generation Alpha includes people born from 2010 to 2024, making them roughly 1 to 16 years old in 2026.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: CJP impact—BJP’s narrative hegemony dented, the pall of fear lifted