'Babur ki virasat': Gen Z protester responds to trolls; says academics and activism can coexist

A Gen Z student who emerged as one of the faces of the recent protests over the alleged NEET paper leak has posted a point-by-point rebuttal to online trolling after a video featuring her was shared on social media without her permission.

In a video posted on social media, the student said the clip had been circulated with a caption referring to "Babur ki virasat", following which her inbox was flooded with messages asking if she was alright.

"I am not," she said, introducing herself as "the Gen Z student with whom this happened", before responding to what she described as the criticism levelled against her.

Her first response targeted the caption itself. Mocking the phrase "Babur ki virasat", she said, "What is Babur ki virasat? We can't even relate. Make it more relatable," adding that whoever had written it needed "better ChatGPT responses".

She then rejected what she described as attempts to divide Gen Z students, saying their unity during the recent protests had become so prominent that even Parliament had begun using the term "Gen Z".

"Logic is not logicing," she remarked.

Responding to criticism that student protesters were more interested in creating content and dancing than studying, she said academics and extracurricular activities could coexist.

"I scored 93 per cent in both Class 10 and Class 12 while dancing and creating content," she said, displaying awards in dance, academics, yoga and karate. "Both categories can coexist."

The student also defended videos of protesters dancing on the streets, arguing that dancing was a natural expression of celebration after a collective achievement.

"I've seen people dance on the streets after every victory. I don't know why that is difficult to understand," she said.

Addressing the trolling directed at her, she said she was not intimidated by attempts to target her online, remarking that, as a "brown girl", she had long been prepared to deal with such experiences.

Towards the end of the video, the student shifted to a more serious note, saying her social media account had gained over 70,000 followers in the previous three days but claiming many of the new followers were "really weird men".

Appealing to what she described as "girlies and good men", she urged them to follow, repost or comment on her video so it reached the "right audience".

The response comes amid an intense online debate surrounding the nationwide protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, with several students and activists claiming they have faced harassment and trolling on social media for participating in the demonstrations.