VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html ‘Dhamaal 4’ OTT release: Here’s when and where you can watch the Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Ravi Kishan, Jaaved Jaaferi, Arshad Warsi starrer Travelling by train in India? 10 things you should never do on a journey In 2015, Queensland began turning end-of-life tyres into road material; over the next decade 2.4 million tyres were kept out of landfill as crumb rubber was blended into asphalt and road seals Hurricane threat in Southern California: 90% chance of disturbance to turn into depression Adoor Gopalakrishnan opens up on reuniting with Mammootty in ‘Padayatra’ after 32 years and his 10-year comeback: ‘His performance in this film will also be outstanding’ Repurpose Leftover Tiles: The surprising way to repurpose leftover tiles: DIY easy ideas that can instantly upgrade your home without spending much An English dumping ground for canal dredgings was restored as wetland; black-necked grebes rose from 4 breeding pairs to 35 in two years, and it now holds 64% of the UK population Centre moves Supreme Court to quash FIRs against NEET protesters A man who grew up poor and fatherless and barely finished high school went on to open 54 Burger King restaurants across three US states; his foundation has since donated more than $2 million NEW DELHI: From colleges to schools. From Gen Z to Gen Alpha. From Jantar Mantar to cities and villages in states. The students’ protest has continued; only the stage has shifted. The Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) “School Thik Karo” campaign has put the spotlight on the sorry condition of government schools in many states. Gen Z showed the way from Jantar Mantar when they forced the NDA government to make Dharmendra Pradhan resign over NEET paper leaks. Gen Alpha took the cue and brought the protests to villages and towns across states, demanding better school infrastructure and government accountability.The CJP campaign asking for school audits in villages got a huge response. The pictures and videos of schools uploaded on CJP’s X timeline exposed the sorry state of government schools across states. This was followed by ground inspections by CJP teams, which led to confrontation and a strong pushback by some state governments.Two days after the CJP launched its campaign and announced that schools in Rajasthan would be on its radar, the state education department issued new guidelines regulating the entry of outsiders, including media personnel, into government schools.Under the directives, photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and live streaming involving students or school activities on campus needed prior permission from the school principal or head of the institution. The Rajasthan order went on to threaten action under applicable laws in case of any breach.So, when a CJP team went to inspect a government school on August 21, it was attacked and forcibly pushed back, allegedly by the locals. Videos of the incident showed a large number of people engaging in a heated exchange with the CJP team, pushing and shoving its members as they tried to enter the village. Some clips also showed stone-pelting and smashed windows of cars. Locals said the village did not need outside political groups to intervene in the school’s affairs.This perhaps became the July 20 Jantar Mantar moment (when Delhi Police used force to stop Gen Z protesters from their Sansad march) of the CJP school campaign as the violent confrontation propelled the issue to the national centre stage.School students protest in UPMeanwhile in Uttar Pradesh, Gen Alpha students of a government school staged a protest twice, in a span of four days. over shortage of subject teachers. They briefly blocked traffic also. Students of a government school in Kannauj boycotted classes and held protests against the principal for alleged caste discrimination and ordering the felling of trees inside the school campus. The students of PM Shri Composite School in Gugarapur surrounded the vehicle of the in-charge principal at the school gate as he was leaving and raised slogans against him.Protests also happened in Fatehpur, Hamirpur against lack of facilities in schools. In Hamirpur, ‘Gen Alpha’ children laid siege to the collectorate to demand the construction of a paved road to their school.In Unnao, hundreds of students of a government-run residential school staged a protest over alleged poor-quality food, inadequate drinking water, shortage of teachers and the behaviour of the principal, briefly disrupting traffic at a city crossing.’Ministers’ dogs got better facilities than students’In Maharashtra, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke conducted a social audit of government-run and municipal schools in Latur district. He led a team at a Zilla Parishad school at Ujani village in Latur’s Ausa tehsil.After his audit, Dipke said schools in the state were in a pitiable condition, and even “ministers’ dogs got better facilities” than students. He sought the resignation of Maharashtra school education minister Dada Bhuse. Later, Maharashtra police registered a case against the CJP convenor and others for allegedly entering a government school without permission, disrupting official work and threatening teachers.The state governments cited rules to browbeat the CJP teams away from its schools. But at the same time, they were forced to act to nullify the impact of the CJP campaign. So, while some states announced new measures to improve the condition of schools, others increased the pace of work already underway to ensure that results were seen on the ground quickly.CJP claims creditThe CJP was quick to claim credit for govt actions and basked in glory.“The impact we’ve been able to make with such a small team in such a short span of time is just unreal. Multiple state governments have had to bow down. Authorities had to listen to Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids and give them their due,” it said in a post on X.“But this does not end here. We need to keep going until even the remotest regions of the nation, even the most deprived communities, have access to the highest standard of educational facilities. They may use force, they may file cases, they may do whatever they can to crush this, but we will remain committed to the same demand,” the post read.Politial parties take a cue from CJPWhile it can be debated whether or not the CJP campaign forced the governments into action, what can be said with certainty is that the CJP has managed to do what many political parties could not – inspire the youth to come to the streets and seek accountability from power.The two CJP campaigns also point to an interesting shift – which should be a learning lesson, especially for parties in the opposition space. We have seen the opposition parties raise the pitch against government on issues like caste and religion as these have greater potential for voter mobilisation. Rarely do we see campaigns by the opposition parties centred around health or education reforms. But that seems to have changed.Youth outreachThe Congress has taken a cue and is trying to stay focused on students’ connect and raise issues that concern the youth. In Rajasthan, the state Congress unit is also on the streets to highlight gaps in state government school infrastructure.And it’s not just the opposition that is course-correcting; the ruling BJP has also drawn a roadmap to engage with the youth and understand their concerns. In the middle of the Gen Z protest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi debuted on Instagram and tried to communicate directly with the youth who were on the streets. The BJP has in fact formed a dedicated team to spearhead its Gen Z outreach. The team includes BJP chief Nitin Nabin, national general secretaries Smriti Irani and Vinod Tawde, Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghavi, Chhattisgarh minister OP Choudhary, along with several other leaders.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesClearly, the CJP has managed to change the political discourse and has put the focus on the youth as potential game-changers in electoral politics. As we gear up for the next rounds of assembly elections in the run-up to the 2029 Lok Sabha challenge, we may see youth outreach taking centre stage like never before.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Babur’s Country Honoured Modi’: Owaisi Takes Dig At BJP, RSS As PM Gets Uzbekistan’s Top Award’One May Call Bharat Superpower But…’: RSS Chief Bhagwat’s ‘Vishwaguru’ Msg In Canada‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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How lonely hearts on dating apps are being targeted as the scam gains momentum in Bengaluru and other metro cities 6 dead, several injured in blast at cracker manufacturing unit in UP UAE, Egypt coordinate over Banque Misr bank after US Treasury notice on Iran links, dollar curbs NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene against Cockroach Janata Party’s protest march on September 5, saying that maintenance of law and order was primarily the responsibility of the government and police.A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymala Bagchi and V Mohana said that there is no reason to presume that the proposed demonstration would insult in any untoward incident.”We will at least, as of now, presume everybody will behave in a peaceful manner. Right now there is no compelling circumstance to assume that any untoward thing will happen,” the CJI observed.The bench issued notice to the Centre and Delhi Police and posted the next hearing for September 10, along with other matters concerning the student protests.This comes after a plea was filed by retired Delhi Police officer Rajendra Singh, seeking directions to ensure that large-scale demonstrations and protest marches in sensitive areas of the national capital are held only after obtaining requisite police permissions.The counsel, appearing for Singh, urged the apex court to hear the matter on September 3, citing the proposed march and the upcoming BRICS Summit in Delhi on September 12-13.The counsel referred to the violence during the July 20 Sansad March announced by the CJP and cautioned that another incident could occur, even if not directly attributable to the organisers.The CJI, however, said the court could not proceed on the assumption that something untoward would happen and reiterated that the police authorities were competent to deal with any law-and-order situation.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”Before us, there is no identified group. You please impress upon the Union or NCT Delhi. It’s for them to maintain law and order. They should act as per law,” the CJI said.”They are expected to maintain law and order, and the enforcing agency has the responsibility to maintain law and order… We are expecting them to act within that framework. From both sides, we are expecting that they will respect, they will conduct themselves, and they will follow the law of the land…,” he added.The CJP has announced the September 5 march in Delhi, alleging that the Centre failed to honour its commitment to withdraw cases against students who participated in the July protests over the alleged examination paper leakGet the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Babur’s Country Honoured Modi’: Owaisi Takes Dig At BJP, RSS As PM Gets Uzbekistan’s Top Award’One May Call Bharat Superpower But…’: RSS Chief Bhagwat’s ‘Vishwaguru’ Msg In Canada‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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Kerala labour minister Bindu Krishna on Monday criticised prominent Sunni cleric and Grand Mufti of India Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar over his remarks advocating restrictions on women’s participation in public life, saying such statements push women “centuries back”.Krishna said the Constitution guarantees equal rights to men and women and rejected calls to restrict women’s movement outside their homes.”Constitution of India assures equal rights to women and men, irrespective of sex. The people have the right to live a free and liberal life. And also, these types of statements push women centuries back. So, we can’t accept such statements. Our women are free to move. They are best rulers. Our girls are always coming through this society, and we can’t accept such statements,” Krishna told ANI.The minister was responding to remarks made by Aboobacker Musliyar at the Hubbul Rasul Conference in Kochi, where he defended directives issued by the Kanthapuram faction of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama to local Mahalls regarding women’s participation in religious events.The controversy follows a circular issued by the organisation directing Madrasas not to allow women to be present among unrelated men at religious programmes. The directives also advised against featuring young women on public stages or allowing them to participate in road processions alongside unrelated men.Defending the restrictions, Aboobacker said, “Women should remain confined within their homes. They should not enter the public sphere. The Holy Quran says so.”Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesHe defended the purdah system, saying it was intended to protect women’s dignity. He also argued that allowing women unrestricted access to public spaces could cause “great destruction”.Aboobacker said the restrictions were intended to honour and protect women rather than diminish their status.He further argued that Islam had granted women property and inheritance rights centuries ago to improve their status without requiring them to leave their domestic roles.The cleric also said he was not concerned by opposition from political leaders or others and maintained that no one could silence him or force him to alter Islamic doctrines.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAyush PandeyAyush Pandey is a journalist at The Times of India, covering breaking news, politics, defence, and major legal and policy developments across India and the world. His reporting focuses on elections, national security, and institutional affairs, tracking the decisions and conflicts that shape public life. He specialises in sharp explainers and in-depth feature stories that go beyond headlines to decode political shifts, defence strategy, geopolitical flashpoints, and changing public sentiment. His work combines speed, clarity, and depth for a fast-moving digital audience.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’FIR Against Rahul Gandhi Under SC/ST Act For ‘Giving Caste Angle’ In Haldwani ‘Purification’ RowFor Every Rs 100 Laundered, Only Re 1 Is Recovered By Authorities: CJI Surya Kant At Cambridge‘Oldest Trick In RSS Playbook’: Owaisi Slams Mohan Bhagwat’s Hindu-Muslim Unity Call In New YorkWho Is Divya Mittal? 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