Indian student protests: What’s next after Modi’s promise on exam leaks?
Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) insist on the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Late on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised
Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) insist on the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Late on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised stern action against perpetrators of examination paper leaks that have snowballed into the biggest protest movement against his government in its third term. Modi pledged to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in the leaks, addressing students in an The same night, Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk, a supporter of the students, called off a 26-day hunger strike aimed at pressuring the government to respond to their demands. However, the student activists have said that they would continue with the agitation until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan steps down. We break down the latest protests that have not only roiled New Delhi, but also spread to other cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna, and look at what’s next. What is the protest about? The protests have been organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical online movement formed in May that has evolved into a national platform demanding structural education reforms and Pradhan’s resignation over a series of leaks of examination papers. The protests came after recent scandals pertaining to examination paper leaks, technical faults and cancelled tests triggered outrage. The main protest site is Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, a historic 18th‑century astronomical observatory, close to Parliament Street.
Demonstrators have also occupied parts of Parliament Street since Monday, with many demonstrators camping on the key thoroughfare that connects Parliament House to Connaught Place, the Indian capital’s central commercial square. The Jantar Mantar site has seen bouts of unrest and violence this week. On Monday, the protests escalated after police fired tear gas and baton-charged demonstrators as they tried to march to parliament. Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the Indian government over “excessive use of force” by the police and suspension of mobile internet services at Jantar Mantar. The CJP’s demands include Pradhan’s immediate resignation, the dropping of cases against peaceful demonstrators and 10 million rupees ($104,000) in financial assistance for each of the families of more than 20 students who have died by suicide since recent exam cancellations. Sonam Wangchuk calls off his hunger strike Indian activist Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike, also demanding the resignation of Pradhan. In a post on X late on Thursday night, Wangchuk, 59, said he ended his fast after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country”. Wangchuk’s fast was broken in the presence of Indian Health Minister JP Nadda and the junior Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh, who offered Wangchuk his first sip to end the protest.
The BriefWire