With protests demanding reform of India’s education system stretching into their second month and spreading across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally broken his silence and addressed the youth.
In a post on social media, Modi said nothing was more important than the future of the country’s young people, and promised that those behind the exam paper leaks would face “due punishment.” He said fast-track courts would be established to quickly hear and decide such cases, adding that “no one who tries to damage the future of our youth will be spared.”
However, Modi’s post made no mention of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whose resignation is the central demand of the protesters. The protests began with calls for the minister to step down over corruption and paper leaks in examinations, but have since broadened to include grievances such as youth unemployment.
The movement escalated most sharply after the paper for the NEET exam — the entrance test taken by students seeking to study medicine — was leaked. With more than two million students forced to retake the exam, protesters say the dreams of tens of thousands of young people have been shattered. Problems with the online marking system have further disrupted students’ studies.
Arohi Singh, a 23-year-old protester, said her younger sister was among those forced to retake the medical exam after the leak, and had failed. “After the paper was leaked, she lost heart and became completely dejected,” she said. “On one side are the citizens of this country. On the other side is the (Education) Minister. Why can’t the Prime Minister remove him from his post?”
The protest is being led by the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) movement, which has millions of followers on social media. Its spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, said on X that setting up fast-track courts was not a solution to the deep-rooted systemic problems in the education system, adding: “Modi must fix the system, remove Dharmendra Pradhan from office, and hold him accountable.”
Major clashes broke out this week in New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area, where the protests have been most intense. Late Wednesday night, demonstrators and police clashed outside Jantar Mantar, and on Monday, police used tear gas as protesters attempted to enter the parliament building. Both protesters and members of the security forces have sustained injuries.
Human Rights Watch, in a statement issued Thursday, called on the Indian government to investigate the violence against peaceful protesters and to halt the shutdown of mobile internet services.
For the Hindu nationalist leader Modi, who was elected to a third term in 2024, these protests have become the biggest political challenge he has faced since returning to office. While the CJP has cast doubt on whether Modi’s words alone can calm the anger of the youth, the movement has vowed not to back down in its push to “fix the system and hold it accountable.”
