- The government appeals to protesters to participate in negotiations.
- Delhi closes 16 metro stations, blocks internet.
- Modi proposes court plan for exam leaks.
NEW DELHI: Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike on Friday over leaked medical school entrance exams that protesters say enabled cheating, but demonstrations demanding the education minister’s resignation were set to continue in the biggest youth-led challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Youth protesters, led by the self-styled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leaks that affected around 2 million students in May and have been linked to several student suicides.
Wangchuk said on X that he broke his fast in the presence of two federal ministers at the request of dozens of members of parliament and after “a lengthy negotiation on various matters and in light of possible violence in the country.” He did not elaborate on the negotiations, but promised to provide details in a video soon.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Wangchuk, 59, for his “courage and sacrifice” and said the protests would continue until Pradhan steps down. “We will not let Sonam sir’s sacrifice go in vain,” he added in a video message.
Late on Tuesday, Pradhan, in his first comments since calls for his resignation were made, said the government was committed to addressing concerns and reforming exams.
The protests represent the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the youth movement’s demands and disrupted the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.
After Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, Modi urged the activist to follow doctors’ advice and “regain the weight loss” during his fast.
Demonstrators have called for nationwide demonstrations on Friday in solidarity with students who alleged police brutality during a march on parliament on Monday by tens of thousands of people, even as Modi’s government urged them to engage in negotiations.
Thousands of people had returned to the Jantar Mantar protest site on Thursday afternoon with anti-government placards and chanted slogans amid a heavy security deployment. The protests have shut down metro stations and mobile internet services and curtailed business in central Delhi.
Protests have also spread to other cities, including Ranchi, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata, local media reported.
Restrictions introduced in the central business district
Delhi authorities on Thursday shut down 16 metro stations in and around central parts of Delhi where the protesters have been camped, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.
The government also ordered telecommunications companies to block mobile internet services in the area, sources told Reuters, a move that not only affected protesters but also stopped shops and restaurants from accepting digital payments by phone.
Separately, all offices and businesses in the Connaught Place area, the busy central business district, were asked to close early Thursday by the New Delhi Traders Association, citing a directive from municipal authorities due to the security situation in the area.
The measures are widely seen by human rights groups as an attempt by the authorities to contain protests and prevent any further outbreaks of violence.
More than 10,000 people gathered at the protest venue Jantar Mantar on Wednesday evening. Some protesters attacked police with stones and plastic bottles, injuring a few officers, news agency ANI quoted Delhi Police as saying.
In Monday’s clashes during the march to parliament, police used tear gas and batons to push back the protesters.
Protesters reject Modi’s proposal for special courts
Earlier on Thursday, Modi said special courts would be set up to prosecute those behind the leak of exam papers, his first public response to the crisis.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our young people!” Modi wrote that X.
But the CJP rejected the suggestion, saying what courts do after paper leaks is only one aspect of the problem.
“But Modi-ji, tell us why paper leaks are happening in this country in the first place?” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said using the Hindi honorific.
“Fast-track courts are set up in this country for all other matters, but whether these fast-track courts have actually solved these problems — you know the answer to that question, and so do we.”
Later in the day, Modi said on social media that the government would announce stricter action against paper leaks at a cabinet meeting on Friday.
Top Bollywood stars including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor supported the protesters via social media posts and said it was encouraging to see students coming together to fight for a cause.
The CJP protests began as an online satire and involved only a few hundred young people when they were first launched.
The movement’s rise in popularity reflects frustrations among young Indians over issues such as job shortages as well as frequent exam leaks.
