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New Delhi: The CJP protest unfolded at Jantar Mantar, on the streets where thousands battled police batons and quickly segued into social media with a distinctly Gen Z flavour as memes, music and mirth accompanied demands for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

As the protests gain steam in the national capital and across cities such as Mumbai, Indore, Udaipur and Hyderabad, Instagram and X have become extensions of the demonstration with participants mixing political messaging with viral internet trends.

With a generous lashing of creativity and a dash of sarcasm, Gen Z’s hyper referential humour that thrives on layers of irony took it all on – from calling for Pradhan’s resignation and commenting on joblessness to police action during the July 20 march and environment concerns.

From mocking delay in resignation to making reels during lathi charge

While one Instagram user mocked the delay in Pradhan’s resignation, saying, “Employment opportunities are low in our country; that’s why Pradhan is not resigning”, another drew parallels with corporate life, quipping that the minister was probably waiting to receive his month’s salary before stepping down “to avoid the financial crunch during the full-and-final settlement”.

“Ho sakta hai Dharmendra Pradhan ke paas dusra offer na ho, isliye resign nahi kar raha. (Possibly Dharmendra Pradhan doesn’t have another job offer that’s why he is not resigning),” said a post on X.

When protesters on their way to Parliament were met with Delhi Police and other paramilitary forces that resorted to lathi charge and teargas shells, short videos on social media gave the day’s ordeals sharp satirical spins.

Running protesters posted videos with songs such as “Chak De India”, “Bhag Milkha”, “Bhag DK Bose” and “Gangnam Style.”

The music of popular mobile game Subway Surfer, in which the player tries to escape a policeman, found itself in several viral videos as protesters made a run for it. “Thanks for the cardio, Delhi Police!” it said.

“Parliament ki doorbell baja ke bhag gaya! (Rang Parliament’s doorbell and took off!)” said a reel to the music of “Chak De India”.

GRWM, OOTD reels go viral

Several protesters also shared “GRWM” (Get Ready With Me) and “OOTD” (Outfit of the Day) reels before heading to the march, documenting their outfits and participation alongside updates from the protest site.

Dressed in an indigo kurta, one content creator posted a snarky GRWM video.

“Get ready with me to witness the downfall of the government. I am wearing a spine, some jhumkas and my constitutional right to oh… Never mind!” she wrote.

Another young woman proudly showed off her eyeliner that did not come off during the trying day of the protest march because her “foundation is strong, unlike the government.”

‘Please don’t use tear gas, then we’ll have to ask for environment minister’s resignation’

Referring to the use of tear gas, a user on X posted, “Delhi Police, please don’t use tear gas. It pollutes the city. Then we’ll also have to ask for the environment minister’s resignation.”

“Unlike petrol blended with E20, the tear gas used during the protest was 100 per cent authentic and without adulteration,” another wrote on X.

Amid allegations of police excesses during the protest, a participant employed irony, posting, “I am totally safe here. There are a lot of police around me. Nobody can hit me.”

From Spider-Man to Hulk, pop culture finds place at CJP protest

As more young protesters gathered at the Cockroach Janta Party protest site at Jantar Mantar on Thursday, slogans and speeches were joined by an unusual sight of protesters cosplaying as Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, and Iron Man.

“I am a huge Spider-Man fan, his main message was ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ Just like Peter Parker faced challenges while trying to do the right thing, many students here are fighting their own battles. That’s why I am standing with them,” a student dressed in Spider-Man attire said.

Real-life heroes like Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar were also “revived” for “the latest season.”

In a video shared widely across all social media platforms, a man dressed as actor Aamir Khan’s alien character from “PK” said he had to come since the “real one was busy getting married”, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the star who got married recently.

When asked how he was going to protect himself, he pulled out pictures of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and stuck them to his face with a smile.

Hulk helps clean Jantar Mantar

Not far away, another protester, who did not wish to be identified, wore the green mask of the Marvel character Hulk, but had a different mission. Carrying garbage bags and wielding a broom, the student volunteered to keep the protest site clean.

“This is my way of supporting the cause. Keeping the place clean is also a form of service,” he said while collecting garbage and carrying it to a designated disposal point.

Inspired by popular television series Game of Thrones, another student, Vineet, held up a placard reading, ‘Stark Students Stand United.’

And what is a day of dissent without some bleeding hearts?

Many tapped into their lovelorn selves and found motivation to send out a text to “them.” “Aaj tear gas ke fog me unko yaad karke ro diya. (I cried remembering them in the fog of the tear gas),” one put a video of reddened eyes.

Another posted with a picture lying on the ground, “Itna ignore to usne bhi nahi kiya tha (Even they didn’t ignore me so much!).”

In a lighter take on the popular aapda mein avsar (opportunity in adversity) phrase, a protester suggested that all single men and women should attend the march because it was “an ideal place to find a partner”.

IPL becomes Indian Paper Leak

The protesters carrying placards showed equal ingenuity as IPL became “Indian Paper Leak,” someone posed with “Don’t need tear gas, this government is enough,” and requested to “Bring back boore din.”

One woman at the protest site had this request for her birthday.

“Birthday gift me resignation de do na, Kuchu Puchu! (Give me a resignation as a birthday gift—pretty please)” she posed with the photos of Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Cockroach Janta Party, which started online following a comment by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referring to unemployed youth as cockroaches, has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding Pradhan’s resignation over NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities. The protest has since spread across the country with thousands of students joining in.