Why do people protest?
In this episode of WEE The People, we examine the history and importance of protests—from one of the earliest recorded workers’ strikes in ancient Egypt to the French Revolution, the labour movement, the struggle for universal voting rights and India’s freedom movement. We also explain how protests create change. By bringing people together, they make ignored problems visible, attract public attention, demonstrate collective strength and give people without money or institutional influence the power to negotiate with those in authority.
From Gulf Wars to Ethanol: How Will It Shape India's Future | THE INDIA REPORT | Ep 1
This week’s episode of The India Report by Asad Ashraf connects three major developments—a US missile strike that killed Indian workers abroad, a Gulf ceasefire affecting global fuel and living costs, and India’s push toward 100% ethanol fuel—to explore a common theme: India’s dependence on global decisions. Through a social science lens, the show goes beyond headlines to ask what the nation owes its citizens abroad and how it can strengthen its energy and economic security in an interconnected world.
Is the Shift to E20 Petrol in India a Trade-Off?
India wants to reduce its dependence on imported oil. One of the biggest tools in that plan is already reaching our fuel tanks: ethanol blended petrol. Supporters say it can save billions in oil imports, strengthen energy security, support farmers, and make India less vulnerable to global oil shocks. Critics ask a different question: What happens to engines, water resources, agriculture, and long-term costs? As conflict and uncertainty continue to affect global energy markets—including in West Asia—the debate around fuel is becoming bigger than just petrol prices. In this video, we unpack the economics, science, and trade-offs behind India’s ethanol push.
Why Are People Migrating from Arunachal’s Border Villages?
More than 500 villages along Arunachal’s border areas have seen depopulation, with families leaving behind their ancestral homes, ways of life and cultures. With even the most basic facilities missing, many people say they had no option but to move in search of a better future for the next generation. But this migration — not by choice, but because of circumstance — has left deep wounds of neglect. For governments, the border has always mattered. But the people living along it have had to wait much longer to matter. In this video, Newsreel Asia travels to Lower Dibang Valley, one of the districts in Arunachal Pradesh that shares a border with the Tibet Autonomous Region, controlled by China. Datu Mega, Pronov Mega and Deta Mega represent three generations of hill-inhabiting Idu Mishmis who have suffered the consequences of this neglect.
What Forced These Parents to Join Cockroach Janta Party Protest?
Thousands of protesters gathered at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, holding flowers and wearing cockroach masks, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accountability for continued misgovernance in the conduct of examinations. Protesters said repeated failures in the examination system have pushed young people’s futures into uncertainty. At the centre of their grievances was the recent NEET paper leak which has caused widespread distress among aspirants and contributed to several student suicides.
The protest was called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a newly emerged youth-led satirical movement that began online on social media and has now moved to street demonstrations. The movement was founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a U.S.-based Indian student and strategist, after India’s Chief Justice reportedly referred to critics as “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing. Dipke and his supporters turned the insult into a symbol of survival, resilience and defiance, arguing that young people may be dismissed or dehumanised, but cannot be erased.
We spoke to participants at the protest site, which included not just the Gen Z but also millennials and older people, to know their motivations for joining this movement.
Inside Arunachal’s Systemic Corruption
From buying votes with lakhs of rupees during elections to contractors allegedly paying massive commissions to secure government projects, corruption runs deep across Arunachal Pradesh. Because Arunachal Pradesh shares an international border with China, the central government allocates huge funds for infrastructure and development. But where does that money really go?
This documentary explores how corruption in Arunachal is no longer limited to politicians or officials alone — many believe it has evolved into an entire system involving power, money, contractors, voters, and institutions meant to ensure accountability.
He Was a Naxal. Here's Why He Quit.
In this interview, Newsreel Asia's producer Gunjan Handa speaks to a former Naxal who once lived under multiple identities — Asan, Asin, Anil, Rajaram — names that were all part of his life inside the movement. As the Indian government claims major success in its mission to end Naxalism, this conversation goes beyond the headlines and statistics to explore the people behind the conflict. Why do individuals join such movements? What does life inside these groups actually look like? And what happens after surrender? From ideology and survival to state operations and rehabilitation, this interview offers a rare glimpse into one of India’s longest-running internal conflicts through the eyes of someone who experienced it from within.