Shafaqna Pakistan: Indian police used batons to disperse protesters in New Delhi on Monday as they attempted to march towards parliament, escalating demonstrations over alleged irregularities in major examinations.
An AFP journalist said protesters scattered as police in riot gear charged at the crowd near the Jantar Mantar protest site.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered despite monsoon rain and heavy police barricades along routes leading to the venue.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical failures.
“We want the government to hear us, not silence us,” 19-year-old student K.M. Gulshan said.
The protest comes after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk was taken to hospital on Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to his 20-day hunger strike in support of youths and the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.
The CJP has won millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, tapping into widespread anger over the education system and unemployment.
The movement is seen as one of the biggest challenges to Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he won his third term in office in 2024.
“PM @narendramodi tell your police to stand down,” the CJP said in a post on X on Monday.
“We are a democracy in case you have forgotten. The whole world is watching as you’re trying to crush a democratic and peaceful protest.”
‘Suppress voices’
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world’s most populous nation still struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
Some 2.2 million aspiring medical students sat for a re-examination under tight security last month after the previous test was scrapped following a question paper leak that triggered widespread outrage.
That came on top of another scandal related to the online marking system of tests taken by nearly two million high school students.
The Internet was snapped in parts of central New Delhi on Monday, with police saying the protesters did not have their permission to hold the protest.
“Any person violating these prohibitory orders shall be liable for prosecution,” Delhi Police said in a statement.
Shubhi Rao, 16, said she had joined the protest to support Wangchuk and demand accountability from the government.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown himself as someone who isn’t bothered about the youth of this country,” she told AFP.
Modi, in a public address before the start of the monsoon session of parliament, did not mention the protesters.
But Mallikarjun Kharge, a senior leader of the opposition Congress party, brought up the issue in the upper house.
“Thousands of students have gathered at Jantar Mantar. The government is trying to use force, suppress voices, and drive them away,” he said.
Slogans were also shouted inside the lower house by the opposition benches, demanding the resignation of the education minister and justice for students.
Source: Dunya News
