In today’s political climate, the world has encountered a new twist on youth frustration, one increasingly pushed through digital means. This gradually escalates into mass physical mobilisation. The spread of unstructured movements across South Asia in recent times bears testimony to their capacity to destabilise countries, weaken economic foundations, and facilitate foreign interference. However, the rise of modern-day digital-native movements presents a new challenge to the survival of sovereign states.
The mechanism behind these protests is often the same. Internet trends amplify genuine economic fears, such as graduate unemployment or examination cheating, through memes and viral rhetoric. This emotional unrest bypasses institutional channels of grievance and instead channels anger onto the streets. As thousands of youths occupy public infrastructure, the consequences follow a predictable and tragic trajectory: the breakdown of law and order, significant economic damage, and weakened state sovereignty.
First-hand witness to anarchy: The civil hospital tragedy
Unstructured, digitised mass movements have serious real-world consequences and cannot merely be dismissed as political rhetoric. In September 2025, extreme violence erupted in the New Baneshwor area when the Gen Z protests reached their peak in Kathmandu. The human cost of the unrest became painfully clear to journalists and medical personnel present at the Civil Hospital.
For two days, the medical unit became a full-fledged triage centre resembling a war zone. Casualty numbers far exceeded the capacity of the medical staff. Volunteer doctors and emergency responders worked under extreme stress and pressure, treating severe trauma cases, head injuries, and penetrating wounds. The hospital faced shortages of blood products, surgical supplies, and essential emergency pharmaceuticals, while the surrounding chaos disrupted critical logistical pipelines.
The violence was not confined to the streets alone. It extended beyond the hospital premises, making it difficult for healthcare professionals to operate safely. Doctors found themselves at the centre of two simultaneous crises: performing complex surgical procedures while also ensuring the external security of wards and patients. This example demonstrates that such unrest does not merely target political institutions; it disrupts essential national services, placing vulnerable individuals, young children, and emergency personnel at immediate risk.
Across the country, approximately 74–76 fatalities were reported, while more than 2,113 individuals were injured. Private homes, police stations, government offices, and even Parliament buildings were set on fire. Reconstruction costs reached NPR 84–85 billion (approximately USD 600 million), while the tourism and automobile sectors suffered additional losses amounting to billions. Employment opportunities disappeared, and supply chains collapsed.
A similar pattern was observed in Bangladesh in 2024, where economic losses resulting from curfews and disruptions to garment, pharmaceutical, and logistics operations were estimated at more than USD 1.2 billion. The unrest reportedly resulted in up to 1,400 deaths — approximately 12–13% of them children — and more than 20,000 injuries. These losses stemmed from prolonged disruptions to economic activities during the protests. Young people lost their lives, buildings collapsed, and the country’s political structure became deeply fractured.
Infrastructural and economic costs of mass disruption
When activities evolve from “simple” protest actions and peaceful assemblies into actions that paralyse the functioning of the state, the consequences become extraordinarily destructive. Civil unrest causes immediate physical damage while simultaneously generating long-term macroeconomic instability.
➤ Destruction of public and private property
Transportation facilities, government buildings, utility systems, and private businesses frequently become targets during unrest. Reconstructing this critical infrastructure consumes valuable government resources that could otherwise be directed toward healthcare, education, and development programmes.
➤ Macroeconomic devaluation
Persistent instability weakens a nation’s sovereign credit rating, leading to reduced foreign direct investment (FDI). Investors, both domestic and international, often move capital toward safer and more stable environments, accelerating capital flight.
➤ Supply chain contraction
Road blockades, curfews, and digital shutdowns disrupt supply lines, resulting in shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. These artificial shortages contribute to inflation and inequality, disproportionately affecting low-income populations.
➤ Institutional devaluation
Repeated violations of law and order erode public confidence in judicial and regulatory institutions. The weakening of institutional mechanisms allows street-level coercion to replace constitutional processes, thereby undermining the legitimacy of the state itself.
These vulnerabilities have repeatedly been highlighted by international organisations. The World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have warned that years of economic development can be erased within weeks by chronic conflict and instability. In developing countries, rebuilding damaged infrastructure and recovering lost productivity is often a prolonged process, leaving nations increasingly dependent on foreign financial assistance.
International legal rules and State duties
International conventions guarantee the right to peaceful assembly, but international law draws a clear distinction between legitimate demonstrations and violent civil disturbances. Under Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are subject to specific limitations. These rights may reasonably be restricted to protect public order, public safety, national security, and the rights and freedoms of others.
Under the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, states are obligated to maintain public order through proportionate measures. However, when groups begin attacking public utilities, obstructing emergency services, or assaulting law enforcement personnel, such actions move beyond legitimate protest into criminal anarchy.
Globally, constitutional systems preserve the state’s authority to defend citizens against internal destabilisation. In India, Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to assemble “peaceably and without arms.” However, Article 19(3) also permits reasonable restrictions in the interests of the sovereignty, integrity, and public order of the nation. When youth disaffection transforms into activities that undermine public order, the constitutional framework empowers the state to adopt legal and regulatory measures necessary to preserve the rule of law.
The Indian context: Decoding the Cockroach Janata Party
India is now witnessing a distinct form of digital mobilisation through the emergence of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The group was founded in May 2026 by Abhijeet Dipke, a former social media strategist for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), following remarks made by Chief Justice Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing. The Chief Justice criticised individuals allegedly exploiting fabricated documents against institutions, comparing them to “cockroaches” in society, while clarifying that his remarks were directed at specific bad actors rather than the youth as a whole.
Using this rhetoric, Dipke built an online platform targeting India’s massive Gen Z demographic.
Operating under the tagline “Voice of the Lazy & Unemployed,” the CJP employs anti-establishment satire, digital memes, and sharp criticism focused on graduate unemployment and recent examination paper leak controversies, including the NEET-UG issue. Within less than a week, the party’s official Instagram account reportedly accumulated more than 15 million followers, surpassing the digital reach of several established political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC).
| Official Instagram Followers Count of Indian Political Parties | |
|---|---|
| Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) | ~ 19 Million |
| Indian National Congress (INC) | ~ 13.2 Million |
| Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) | ~ 8.7 Million |
| Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) | ~ 1.9 Million |
Source: Digital Metric Comparison – May 2026
This rapid digital expansion highlights a critical feature of modern political discourse: digital metrics do not accurately reflect grounded institutional political reality. In a democracy of more than 1.4 billion people, online follower counts are heavily shaped by viral trends, algorithms, and entertainment value. They do not automatically translate into grassroots organisation, voter participation, or coherent policy platforms. Moving from online satire to formal political representation requires structural depth that purely digital movements often lack.
The swift digital growth simply reflects a central phenomenon of contemporary political discourse — digital metrics cannot be equated with grounded institutional political reality. Online follower numbers are heavily influenced by viral trends, algorithms, and entertainment value in a democracy of over 1.4 billion people. They do not represent a coherent policy agenda, voter participation, or a structured grassroots organisation. Transitioning from online satire to real-world politics requires structural depth, which purely virtual movements generally lack.
Foreign base, digital manipulation, and the threat of external influence
A closer examination of the CJP leadership reveals a noticeable disconnect from everyday Indian realities. Founder Abhijeet Dipke is a Public Relations graduate from Boston University and is reportedly based primarily in Chicago, Illinois. This raises important questions regarding accountability and intent when a movement focused on Indian domestic politics is directed from abroad.
Operating from outside the country allows organisers to avoid the immediate social and legal consequences of the unrest generated on the ground, while local youth bear the burden of confrontation and instability.
This geographical distance can also create opportunities for external actors to benefit from domestic unrest. In developing countries, philanthropic international organisations such as the Ford Foundation or foundations associated with George Soros have often funded civil society initiatives that later evolve into politically influential pressure movements. While there is no legal evidence linking these organisations to the CJP, the anti-institutional narratives resemble broader global patterns observed elsewhere.
Any political movement lacking transparent domestic accountability while relying heavily on digital amplification becomes vulnerable to external manipulation. Internal polarisation has historically been used by outside powers to weaken sovereign nations, disrupt economic stability and autonomy, and generate geopolitical leverage. For a rising economic power such as India, the unstructured use of digital platforms to influence public policy presents a serious risk of institutional destabilisation.
Urgency of regulatory and legal intervention
The digitalisation of trolling, coupled with street-level disruption, poses a direct challenge to national stability. If a movement explicitly encourages youth to challenge judicial and administrative institutions, it can no longer be dismissed merely as internet culture. As a result, the Government of India has reportedly withheld access to the CJP’s account on X (formerly Twitter) within India.
The operational structure, funding sources, and data security practices of the Cockroach Janata Party should be subject to thorough investigation by relevant state agencies. If digital platforms are being utilised for activities likely to threaten public safety, compromise national security, or provoke unlawful actions, regulatory intervention becomes necessary within the framework of the Information Technology Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Sovereign nations must not allow unaccountable overseas digital actors to weaponise online platforms for the purpose of fomenting civil unrest. A genuine commitment to the rule of law requires transparency, constitutional accountability, and protection against foreign manipulation in domestic political processes. Safeguarding the future of the country’s youth requires maintaining public order while ensuring that democratic opposition is never exploited as a tool for systematic destabilisation.
