"Azadi" has once again become the anthem of student protests in India
In New Delhi, the song “Azadi” (“Freedom”) became the anthem of youth protests following the scandal over leaked exam materials. The protests, in which the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) participated, contributed to the removal of India’s Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, from office, according to Al Jazeera English.
After the protests ended, yellow police barriers remained near the Jantar Mantar observatory, some of which protesters had painted with slogans. One of the barriers bore references to activists Umar Khalid, Sharjil Imam, and Gulfisha. Chants of “Azadi” rang out not only in the Indian capital but also in Jaipur, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
In 2016, these slogans were heard at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi during an event dedicated to the death penalty. Following this, student activists were charged with rioting and arrested; a few weeks later, some of those detained were released on bail.
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Following those events, producer Dub Sharma combined electronic music with the protesters’ chants. He later reworked the track for the 2019 Bollywood film *Gully Boy*, featuring rapper Divine. According to Al Jazeera English, the modern political history of the “Azadi” slogan dates back to the Pakistani feminist movement of the 1980s; it was also used by the Kashmiri resistance movement. Indian feminist activist Kamla Bhasin adapted the slogan for various social campaigns.
The current CJP campaign began following a series of exam scandals that affected millions of Indian students. It was launched by Abhijit Dipke, a Boston University graduate. At the Jantar Mantar site, the movement was supported by student organizations, including the All India Students Association and the Student Federation of India. They organized a protest camp and maintained a round-the-clock vigil to keep the site occupied, and six students joined activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike.
