Did Neha Bora call for Bangladesh-like GenZ protest, 'anarchy' in India? WION Fact-checks viral claim

Amid the widespread protests against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in India, videos circulating online claim that AISA National President Neha Bora, who has become a key figure in the demonstrations, wants to replicate Bangladesh’s Gen Z uprising in the nation.

Speaking at a press conference last week (on October 15, 2026), BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Bora shared an ideology that attempts to promote an anarchic Gen Z movement in the country. "Neha Bora said that the movement was inspired by the Bangladesh protests and that they want the same thing to happen in India as happened in Bangladesh. Look carefully... these are Neha Bora's words, but the ideology belongs to Rahul Gandhi," Bhandari said.

The All India Students' Association (AISA) president, meanwhile, alleged that her video is being circulated out of context by "Sangh IT Cell". What's the truth? WION fact-checks.

What did Bora say in her video?

According to Bora, she sent the video in question to the Socialist Students' Front (SSF) of Bangladesh on the occasion of its sixth central conference on October 13. Bora was among representatives of Left-oriented student groups across South Asia invited to the event, along with Pakistan's Rafi Khosa and speakers from Sri Lanka and Nepal. Unable to attend because of passport and visa issues, Bora and another AISA leader sent video messages instead.

She said that it was a message of solidarity to a Bangladesh student organisation, and Bora has said her words were taken out of context.

In the 1-minute-49-second message, Bora congratulated the SSF and drew parallels between student struggles in Bangladesh and India, over democratic and electoral rights, religious fundamentalism, the privatisation of education and what she called the "saffronisation" of education.

"The Gen Z protests that we are seeing everywhere in this country first started in Bangladesh. And congratulations to you for showing us the way and extending solidarity to the young people of this country," she said, adding that the movement in Bangladesh was for "democratic and voter rights" and against "religious fundamentalism."

Claims around Bora's video

Apart from BJP national spokesperson Bhandari claiming at a press conference that Bora had expressed a desire to replicate Bangladesh's Gen Z uprising in India, the BJP's official X account has also shared a video on the issue. The video showcases Bhandari's remarks alongside the excerpt from Bora's speech, and right-wing commentators amplified claims that she wanted a "Bangladesh like situation in India" or a “violent and illegal overthrow of the government with the accompanying slaughter of Hindus.”

The claim references the July-August 2024 uprising in Bangladesh, which began with student protests against the civil service job quota system and escalated into a nationwide movement demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation. The government's crackdown left hundreds dead, and Hasina resigned and fled on August 5, ending her 15-year rule.