Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das | The three faces of a revolt

Published 1 August 2026 · india

From satire to sit-in is the most popular, and perhaps the easiest, explanation for the student protest movement that culminated in the resignation of Union

From satire to sit-in is the most popular, and perhaps the easiest, explanation for the student protest movement that culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. This explanation is empowering in its simplicity. But it is incomplete. By now, everyone knows how the story goes. On May 15, 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant likened unemployed youth turning to activism and social media to “cockroaches”, triggering widespread backlash. Seizing on the remark, Abhijeet Dipke, an Indian student in Boston, launched a satirical online platform for fellow “cockroaches”, transforming an insult into a rallying cry for disaffected youth. Within the first 24 hours, 50,000 people signed up. That number swelled to more than a million within five days, while the movement’s Instagram account surged past 22 million followers. Yet behind the viral posts, soaring follower counts and colourful symbolism stood a trio: Abhijeet Dipke (30), Ashutosh Ranka (30) and Saurav Das (27), whose skills complemented one another. They come from different parts of the country, different social backgrounds and possess markedly different temperaments. Those who have spent time around Jantar Mantar since the movement began describe Mr. Dipke as politically intuitive, though at times a touch emotional, and the beating heart of the movement. On July 18, after activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from Jantar Mantar, it was Mr. Dipke who argued that the movement should escalate its demands. Instead of limiting itself to seeking Mr. Pradhan’s resignation, he proposed demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dipke loves discussing A.R. Rahman’s music and reciting Shah Rukh Khan’s dialogues from Swades. He brought a sense of lightness to the protest, spending time in the evenings talking to the protesters, posing for pictures with them and cracking a joke every now and then.

Ranka, meanwhile, has been described as decisive, though at times authoritarian, and quicker to lose his temper than others. He remains the mind of the movement and its principal strategist. Das, the youngest of the three, is known as much for his affable demeanour as for his outreach skills, though colleagues say he can occasionally be indecisive. If Mr. Ranka and Mr. Dipke rave about Shah Rukh Khan starrer Swades and Aamir Khan’s Rang De Basanti, Mr. Das represents the other end of the social spectrum where his favourite series is Modern Family — a mockumentary about a multigenerational family based out of Los Angeles. Association with AAP One obvious thread connecting the three is their association with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a link none of them has sought to conceal. Both Mr. Dipke and Mr. Ranka have worked for the party, while Mr. Das’s proximity to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is hardly a secret. Dipke was born in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), Maharashtra, into a Dalit family, though his caste identity largely remained in the background during the protest. “He is a student leader who is also a Dalit and not the other way round,” a leader associated with the 36-day protest said. One occasion on which he publicly asserted his caste identity came after ink was thrown at him at Jantar Mantar on July 18. His response was brief: “Blue is my colour. Jai Bhim.” He studied journalism at Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth in Pune before moving to the U.S. in 2023 to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Relations at Boston University. Mr. Dipke worked in political communications and was associated with the AAP social media team between 2020 and 2023, working closely with senior leader Manish Sisodia.