Who is Neha Bora? Meet the fiesty Gen Z AISA president protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi

Neha Bora, the Gen Z leader and president of the All India Students' Association (AISA), on Saturday marched towards Dilli Haat after several protesters were detained in and around Jantar Mantar during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over alleged voter-roll irregularities.

She was later detained near INA market along with national general secretary of the Communist Party of India Liberation Dipankar Bhattacharya, activists Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.

“I am in detention. The movement is not. People are assembling at SAFDARJUNG FLYOVER right now. If you can, reach. If you are stopped, sit down where you are and hold the line,” she wrote on X.

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Neha Bora is an Indian activist and PhD scholar from Khatima, Uttarakhand. She serves as the national president of the All India Students' Association (AISA) and has participated in student and youth protests.

Bora joined the Cockroach Janta Party protest demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in voter rolls and their revision.

Bora said Dilli Haat in INA would become the protest site after police prevented protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar. She later urged people to assemble at Safdarjung Flyover.

Yes. Bora was detained near INA market along with CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.

Bora is pursuing a PhD at the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University. She completed her bachelor's degree at Delhi University and her master's at Ambedkar University.

Urging people to join the gathering before detention, Bora wrote on X, “Delhi Haat becomes Jantar Mantar today! see you there!”

Police officers said more than 500 protesters had been arrested by noon.

Who is Neha Bora?

Bora hails from Khatima in Uttarakhand, Neha Bora is an Indian activist and PhD scholar who serves as the national president of the AISA. She has also been involved in India's Gen-Z movements.

Bora came into the national spotlight through her participation in the 2026 protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The demonstrations called for the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations concerning examination paper leaks and irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

She also undertook a 23-day hunger strike in the national capital alongside climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. The prolonged fast reportedly had a significant impact on her health.

Bora also participated in a student protest linked to the CJP.

During the Sansad Chalo march organised by the CJP, she called for the resignation of Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, alleging police brutality against students and young protesters.

Her father served in the Indian Army, which meant she moved between different cities during her childhood. She is also a theatre artist. She completed her bachelor's degree at Delhi University and pursued her master's degree at Ambedkar University. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Delhi Protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

In a video posted by the CJP, founder Abhijeet Dipke could be heard telling police personnel who entered the aircraft that they were there to be arrested, saying, "We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us."

Before detaining them, police personnel informed CJP leaders that they had not been granted permission to stage their protest at Jantar Mantar.

Dipke alleged that CJP leaders were being treated like criminals during the detentions. He said even former prime minister Indira Gandhi had not acted in such a manner, describing the prevailing situation as a "dictatorship".

Former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar and CPI(M) MP John Brittas were also taken into custody by police, according to PTI.

Youtuber Dhruv Rathee was detained from his residence in Sector 56 of Gurugram on Saturday, ahead of the CJP's planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar. Rathee, who resides abroad, had travelled to India to participate in the protest against the CEC.

At around 1 pm, several protesters jumped over barricades and pelted security personnel with stones near Akashwani Bhawan on Imtiaz Ali Marg, leaving two police personnel injured. Security personnel swiftly detained the protesters.

Security arrangements were stepped up across the city ahead of the CJP demonstration, with multiple layers of barricades erected along roads. More than 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed, while 45 metro stations were shut. Authorities also intensified security checks at Delhi's border points, railway stations, bus terminals, hotels and other sensitive locations.

The extensive security measures came after Delhi Police refused permission for the protest against the CEC, citing insufficient advance notice and concerns about adherence to rules during a previous demonstration.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X