August 03, 2026

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THE RAGE OF GEN Z

For three weeks, the protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi could be ignored, mocked or dismissed as another social media spectacle. That ended on July 20, when tens of thousands ans wered the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) call to march on Parliament on the opening day of the monsoon session. Barricades fell, tear gas spread through central Delhi, and a movement with an improbable name forced itself into the centre of national politics. The immediate trigger was the leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate, or NEETUG 2026, question paper. The protest ers demanded accountability for the lapse, the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and justice for students betrayed by the system meant to serve them. But soon NEET became only the most visible sign of a deeper breakdown: leaked examina tions, cancelled recruitment tests, unfilled vacancies and years of preparation wiped out by fraud, delay or administrative failure. The protesters were overwhelmin gly Gen Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012, and largely peaceful. Their weapons were placards, memes and slogans. Asked why they had come, only a few said it was because of the NEET paper leak. "Nothing works," said Samreen, 26. "The air you breathe is poison. Exams don't hap pen. When they do, results take years. There are no jobs. No one listens. And when you speak, they unleash the police. Are we criminals?" Stay longer, and the anger began reveal ing multiple strands of grievances: that there are no fair chances, that a degree no longer guarantees a job, that institutions are slow to explain, slower to correct mistakes and slowest to punish those responsible.WHY THE RAGE The anger at Jantar Mantar was sparked by an examina tion system that tests the pa tience of millions. NEETUG is the sole gateway to undergraduate medical education in India. On May 3, over 2.21 million candidates sat the exam for roughly 137,000 MBBS seats. A "guess paper" had already circulated on Telegram and WhatsApp in coach ing hubs, including Sikar in Rajasthan and Latur in Maharashtra. Some 120

PAKISTAN'S SUB PLOT IN BAY OF BENGAL

India's eastern f lank has emerged as a geostrategic hotspot in recent years. China-Bangladesh defence deals in fighter jets and drones and upgrades of ports and airfields, as well as Pakistani defence and intelligence pres- ence in Bangladesh all point to it. In fact, talking about a conflict scenario, Pakistan's chief of defence forces, Gen. Asim Munir had stated in August 2025: "We will start from the east...." Now, Pakistan is hinting at tangible maritime moves at India's secure eastern seaboard.In April, the first of eight Hangor-class diesel-electric submarines being built by China for the Pakistan Navy was commissioned. Last month, it completed its delivery voyage from China via Colombo and arrived in Karachi. During a naval event in Colombo, Commodore Omer Farooq, mission escort commander for PNS Hangor, stated that the new submarine would give Pakistan "the reach to maintain a presence in the Bay of Bengal". New Delhi took note of the comment--if realised, this would mark Pakistan's first naval presence in those waters since the 1971 war, when it lost its eastern maritime foothold. The waters of the Bay of Bengal, spanning approximately 2.6 million sq. km, remain central to India's maritime security. The region hosts India's Eastern Naval Command at Visakhapatnam and INS Varsha, India's highly classified nuclear submarine base. A Pakistani submarine presence could pose surveillance challenges to these installations. Major sea lines of communication linking India with Southeast Asia traverse these waters, making any Pakistani naval presence here a positive threat.Naval observers note that the Hangor-class submarines--an export versions of China's Yuan-class submarines--could enable Pakistan to engage in covert operations in the northern Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. Crucially, they are equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems, which allow non-nuclear submarines to remain submerged for as long as three weeks at a stretch.Experts emphasise that, by projecting submarines eastward, Pakistan would force India to de- fend both western and eastern seaboards simultaneously. With China patrolling the waters of the Indian Ocean with increasing aggression, Pakistan's Chinese-origin submarine fleet could improve interoperability with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Thus, for India, the greater concern is the emergence of a sustained Pakistan-China maritime footprint in the Bay of Bengal. In a conflict scenario, boats in the Bay could threaten merchant shipping and naval logistics, including routes to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Observers point out that Pakistani submarines have been confined to the North Arabian Sea since 1971, when PNS Ghazi deployed from Karachi to the Bay of Bengal, remaining on patrol off Visakhapatnam for several days before being sunk.PAKISTAN'S NAVAL MUSCLE Pakistan is pursuing an ambitious naval modernisation to counter India's maritime superiority and extend its reach. The programme includes new frigates, corvettes, long-range maritime patrol aircraft and cyber and space integration. The centrepiece remains the Chinese-made Hangor-class submarines. Pakistan has inducted the lead boat, PNS Hangor, with PNS/M Shushuk, PNS/M Mangro and PNS/M Ghazi to follow soon. These vessels feature AIP, as well as advanced