Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor praised student activist Neha Bora for her “manifest courage” after meeting her at the INDIA bloc’s March for Democracy in New Delhi on Monday, sharing a selfie with her on X.
“Enjoyed meeting @neha_aisa at the INDIA bloc’s #MarchForDemocracy on Monday. I have great respect for her manifest courage — the courage of her convictions. She also takes better selfies than most!” Tharoor wrote alongside the photograph.
Bora, the national president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), has emerged as one of the prominent faces of recent anti-CEC demonstrations in the national capital.
The 29-year-old PhD scholar marched alongside Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the INDIA bloc’s march to the Supreme Court. The protest targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and opposed the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
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Who is Neha Bora?
Bora has become one of the most visible faces of a protest movement challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, following a crackdown on demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and other groups.
The student activist was among several people detained by police over the weekend as demonstrators attempted to protest against alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the electoral process.
Bora has said she did not initially set out to become an activist. She traces her political journey to theatre and later to the student-led protests against a citizenship law in 2019 and 2020, Reuters reported.
On Saturday, after police blocked protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar, New Delhi’s designated protest site, Bora urged demonstrators to regroup at Dilli Haat, a crafts market about 10 km away.
“Dilli Haat becomes Jantar Mantar today,” she wrote on X before setting off towards the location, chanting slogans as others followed.
Police detained her along with several other activists. However, while in detention, she called on supporters to continue the demonstration.
“I am in detention. The movement is not,” she said in a video posted online, urging those stopped by police to protest wherever they were. She was released later on Saturday.
(With inputs from agencies)