- The government calls on protesters to join the negotiations.
- Delhi closes 16 metro stations and blocks the Internet.
- Modi proposes legal plan for exam leaks.
NEW DELHI: Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday ended a 26-day hunger strike over leaked medical school entrance exam papers that protesters say enabled cheating, but demonstrations demanding the education minister’s resignation are expected to continue in the biggest youth-led challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Young protesters, led by the self-proclaimed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following leaks that affected some 2 million students in May and are 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 many parliamentarians and following “a long negotiation on various conditions and taking into account possible violence in the country.” He did not give details of the discussions 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 resigned. “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 his resignation was requested, 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 “gain back the weight lost” during his fast.
Protesters called for nationwide protests Friday in solidarity with students who denounced police brutality during a march to Parliament on Monday by tens of thousands of people, even as Modi’s government urged them to join the talks.
Thousands of people returned to the Jantar Mantar protest site on Thursday afternoon, holding anti-government posters and chanting slogans amid a heavy security deployment. The protests led to the closure of metro stations and mobile internet services and a reduction in activities in central Delhi.
The protests also spread to other cities, including Ranchi, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata, local media reported.
Restrictions imposed in the central business district
Delhi authorities on Thursday closed 16 metro stations in and around central Delhi areas where protesters were camping, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.
The government also ordered telecommunications companies to block mobile internet services in the region, sources told Reuters, a move that not only affected protesters but also blocked stores and restaurants from receiving digital payments over the phone.
Separately, all offices and businesses in Connaught Place area, the bustling central business district, were asked to close on Thursday morning by the New Delhi Traders Association, which cited an advisory from civic authorities due to the security situation in the area.
The measures are widely seen by human rights groups as an attempt by authorities to curb protests and prevent any further outbreaks of violence.
More than 10,000 people had gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Wednesday evening. Some protesters attacked police with stones and plastic bottles, injuring a few officers, news agency ANI quoted Delhi Police as saying.
During Monday’s clashes during the march to Parliament, police used tear gas and canes to push back protesters.
Protesters reject Modi’s special courts proposal
Earlier on Thursday, Modi said special courts would be set up to prosecute those responsible for leaking exam papers, his first public response to the crisis.
“Nothing is more important than the well-being and future of our young people!” Modi posted on X.
But the CJP rejected the proposal, saying what courts do after leaked documents is only part of the problem.
“But Modi-ji, tell us why are there paper leaks in this country in the first place?” said CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, using the honorific in Hindi.
“There are fast-track courts being 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 tougher measures against paper leaks at a cabinet meeting on Friday.
Top Bollywood stars including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor supported the protesters through social media posts, saying it was heartwarming 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 launched.
The movement’s rise in popularity reflects young Indians’ frustration with issues such as a shortage of jobs, as well as frequent exam failures.
