CBSE Whistleblower Sarthak Sidhant Cautions CJP Against 'Internet Attention', Demanding Genuine Student Activism
Sarthak Sidhant, a 17-year-old student, encountered Rahul Gandhi on June 2 (X/@RahulGandhi).
CBSE on-screen marking (OSM) whistleblower Sarthak Sidhant has advised Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke to ensure the viral student movement focuses on a genuine cause rather than chasing "internet attention." Sidhant, alongside Nisarga Adhikary and Vedant Shrivastava, gained prominence for exposing alleged discrepancies in Class 12 evaluations, culminating in his recent deposition before a Parliamentary Standing Committee. This internal critique from a prominent student activist highlights the growing friction between evidence-based systemic investigations and massive, social media-driven outrage movements ahead of planned national protests.
As India's student-led protest movements gain unprecedented momentum, a divide is emerging regarding the most effective methods of activism. Sarthak Sidhant, a key whistleblower in the CBSE grading controversy, has publicly urged the fast-growing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to ground their campaign in actionable goals. Speaking exclusively to HT, Sidhant emphasized that while he avoids political posturing, any organization formed by students must translate online outrage into meaningful, real-world action rather than merely riding the wave of viral trends.
Sidhant drew a sharp contrast between the investigative work done by him and his peers versus purely digital activism. "Like I did some investigation, Nisarg did some investigation—we put it out to help students," he stated. While acknowledging the utility of online platforms, he cautioned against passivity. “Yes, internet activism is okay. What I did, what Nisarg did, what Vedant did was internet activism in general. But I would say they are sitting on their back seats and if they're not doing anything, they're not actively participating in anything, that is a bad thing,” Sidhant remarked, distancing himself from movements lacking on-ground traction.
Simultaneously, Sidhant's own rigorous approach led him to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports on Tuesday to present his findings on the CBSE's evaluation system.
Background
Teenagers Sarthak Sidhant, Vedant Shrivastava, and "ethical hacker" Nisarga Adhikary became the face of the student backlash after detecting glaring discrepancies in CBSE Class 12 marksheets. Their revelations coincided with broader national outrage over the now-cancelled NEET-UG 2026 exam, which faces a June 21 re-test following a massive paper leak. Sidhant published a detailed blog titled, ‘How CBSE rewrote rules to favour Coempt EduTeck’, alleging the board manipulated three successive tender rounds between February and August 2025 to benefit a specific Hyderabad-based vendor. Both CBSE and Coempt EduTeck have vehemently denied these allegations.
What It Means
Sidhant’s remarks underscore a critical juncture for the CJP and similar youth movements. As the CJP pivots from a satirical online collective to a structured political force demanding the Union Education Minister's resignation, it faces scrutiny not just from the government, but from within the student activist community itself. Sidhant’s successful pivot from a blogger to a parliamentary witness sets a high bar, challenging the CJP to prove that their massive social media following can effect concrete policy changes and systemic accountability.
Our Final Thoughts
Sarthak Sidhant’s pointed advice to the Cockroach Janta Party introduces a necessary debate into India's rapidly expanding student protest ecosystem. While the CJP has undeniably succeeded in mobilizing massive digital outrage over the NEET and CBSE controversies, Sidhant rightly warns that virality without a concrete, actionable foundation risks fizzling out into mere "internet attention." As someone who painstakingly documented alleged tender irregularities and presented his findings directly to a Parliamentary Committee, Sidhant represents the meticulous, investigative tier of youth advocacy. His cautionary words serve as a reality check for the CJP ahead of their planned physical protests. For this student-led uprising to force genuine, long-lasting reform within the Ministry of Education, it must successfully bridge the gap between social media satire and rigorous, evidence-backed pressure. Otherwise, the momentum risks being dismissed by policymakers as just another fleeting internet trend rather than a formidable demand for institutional accountability.
