India's youth protests demand education minister's resignation over exam paper leaks

Thousands of students and supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) have occupied New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a series of high‑stakes exam paper leaks. Police have repeatedly used tear‑gas shells, batons and, in at least one incident, pellet guns to disperse crowds, injuring more than 100 demonstrators and prompting the shutdown of 16 Delhi Metro stations and mobile internet services.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of fast‑track courts to speed up cases related to the leaks, but protesters say the measure does not address accountability. The government entered a series of talks with CJP leaders, including Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das, while opposition parties echoed the demand. The movement has also spread online, with participants posting memes, parody videos and livestreams that mock the government’s own social‑media strategy. CJP founder Abhijit Dipke and RSS leader Indresh Kumar have each issued statements, the former mocking Modi’s response and the latter accusing the protests of foreign influence. The protests remain ongoing, with activists warning that any compromise short of the minister’s resignation will be rejected.