Indian police fire tear gas at exam protest march
The months-old movement is seen as the biggest public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term in office.
NEW DELHI: Indian police fired tear gas on Monday (Jul 20) to stop thousands of protesters demanding the education minister's resignation and wider examinations reforms from marching on parliament.
The demonstrators, mostly young students, converged on the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of New Delhi, in a show of force by an online movement that has tapped into widespread anger over the education system and unemployment.
The area reverberated with the booming sound of tear gas shells fired at protesters, who responded by pelting stones, AFP correspondents saw.
Some ran for cover as police charged at the crowd.
As tensions escalated, Delhi Police urged protesters to exercise restraint and "refrain from indulging in any unlawful or violent activities", according to a statement.
The protesters are seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches.
They defied a steady monsoon drizzle and heavy police barricading to join one of the capital's biggest demonstrations in around five years.
"Our country deserves a government that is bothered about what the young people have to say and is willing to correct its mistakes," said Sumit Kumar, 18.
"The future belongs to us and not these politicians."
The internet was cut in parts of central New Delhi during the protest, which police said they had not authorised.
The rally comes after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital on Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to his 20-day hunger strike in support of the protest movement launched by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The CJP has won millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, fuelling one of the biggest challenges to Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he won his third term in office in 2024.
"IGNORED"
"Why is the police resorting to tear gas assault on peaceful protesters?" CJP said in a post on X.
"First your govt ignored this protest for a month and now when we are peacefully marching your govt is attacking us. Why?"
Modi, in a public address before the start of the monsoon session of parliament on Monday, did not mention the protesters.
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 came on top of another scandal related to the online marking system of tests taken by nearly two million high school students.
The CJP said two of its leaders met senior minister JP Nadda on Monday and submitted a letter spelling out their demands.
"The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere," Nadda said in a statement.
"An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me."
"SUPPRESS VOICES"
Shubhi Rao, 16, said she had joined the protest to support activist 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.
Mallikarjun Kharge, a senior leader of the opposition Congress party, brought up the issue in the upper house of parliament.
"Thousands of students have gathered at Jantar Mantar. The government is trying to use force, suppress voices, and drive them away," he said.
Opposition members chanted slogans inside the lower house, demanding Pradhan's resignation and justice for students.
The CJP movement, founded by public relations graduate Abhijeet Dipke, emerged after Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likened young people to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a court hearing, sparking outrage.
"How can the custodian of the constitution compare the youth with cockroaches and parasites, just for expressing their opinions and criticising the system?" Dipke told AFP in an interview this month.
"That is when I realised maybe the youth here is trying to send a message."
