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Neha Bora, a 29-year-old PhD student and activist, has become one of the most visible figures in India’s recent protests, according to the BBC.
Bora, who uses they/them pronouns, is a theatre artist and has been involved with the All India Students’ Association (AISA), a left-wing organisation known for campus politics, for a decade. They have served as its president for the past two years.
Videos circulating in recent days show Bora being dragged along a street by women police officers, climbing over police barricades, chanting slogans and being detained. Images of them smiling as officers carried them away have also spread widely.
In an interview with BBC Bangla, Bora played down the attention. They said student activists on the left had long taken similar actions, adding that the presence of cameras had made their own actions seem unusual.
The attention comes amid a series of high-profile demonstrations that have been seen as a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12 years in power. A Gen Z-led online satirical movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held weeks of protests in Delhi over education reforms during the summer. The demonstrations ended in July, following the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Opposition parties, particularly Congress, have also protested over electoral reforms. Videos showing Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being jostled and detained have made headlines in India.
The CJP has called a protest in Delhi on Saturday seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The group alleges that electoral rolls were manipulated to benefit Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); the Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the accusation. Bora is not a CJP member but has said AISA will take part in the demonstration.
Born in the northern state of Uttarakhand, Bora moved between cities as a child because their father was an army officer. After graduating from Delhi University, they completed a master’s degree at Ambedkar University in the capital and are now pursuing a PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Bora first drew wider attention during the CJP’s education reform protests. They and other AISA members joined educationist and scientist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike in support of the movement on 28 June. Bora said the decision was natural, as they had long protested against paper leaks and education reforms.
After Wangchuk and others were taken to hospital, Bora continued fasting despite losing 8kg. In a video from hospital, they said the fight would continue and they would return to the streets after recovering.
Since the protests ended in July, Bora has emerged as a Gen Z figure sought out by the CJP and media outlets. They have also appeared alongside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at press conferences.
Bora has said their left-wing politics and criticism of Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders have caused disagreements with their parents, whom they described as staunch BJP supporters. Last month, at least three police complaints were filed against Bora in Uttar Pradesh by BJP members over remarks described as objectionable about the state’s chief minister. The complaints came two days after AISA filed a police complaint saying Bora had received death threats.
Bora has travelled to several Indian cities to join protests in support of students. During a protest march in Jharkhand, a man allegedly threw ink at them. Police said they had detained him.
Speaking to BBC Bangla, Bora said street protests had historically shaped political change in India and would continue to do so, arguing that recent social changes had come from the streets rather than parliament.
Bora and AISA say they will join the CJP at the 10 October protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Kumar, with the stated aim of protecting democracy.
