The student behind 'cockroach' protests that forced an Indian minister to quit

In just under three months, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke - the founder and face of India's Gen Z "cockroach" protests - has acquired the kind of celebrity status normally reserved for a breakout actor or cricketer.

In politics or activism, unless you come from an influential family, such recognition can take years - if it comes at all.

"It's been a rollercoaster ride. Two-three months ago, nobody knew me. I was just in my room in Boston watching documentaries or attending lectures," said Dipke, who recently completed a master's in public relations at Boston University.

"Now I'm here surrounded by hundreds of people, by cameras. It's a bit overwhelming."

In and around his hometown of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in the western state of Maharashtra, Dipke is routinely thronged by people wanting to shake his hand or take a photo.

If the attention bothers him, it doesn't show. Perhaps because politics isn't entirely new to him: before moving to the US, Dipke had worked with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an opposition party that grew out of an anti-corruption movement, for three years.

Then, on 16 May, Dipke wrote a post on X that would change his life: "What if all cockroaches come together?"

It was a response to a remark by India's Chief Justice Surya Kant, who had likened jobless youngsters to cockroaches. Kant later said his comments had been misinterpreted and were directed specifically at young people using fake degrees, rather than the country's youth more broadly.