Late on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised stern action against perpetrators of examination paper leaks that have snowballed into the biggest protest movement against his government in its third term.
Modi pledged to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in the leaks, addressing students in an Instagram-style phone recording. This was his first spoken response to the youth-led protests that have exploded across the country, with their epicentre in the heart of the capital, New Delhi.
The same night, Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk, a supporter of the students, called off a ۲۶-day hunger strike aimed at pressuring the government to respond to their demands.
However, the student activists have said that they would continue with the agitation until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan steps down.
We break down the latest protests that have not only roiled New Delhi, but also spread to other cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna, and look at what’s next.
What is the protest about?
The protests have been organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical online movement formed in May that has evolved into a national platform demanding structural education reforms and Pradhan’s resignation over a series of leaks of examination papers.
The protests came after recent scandals pertaining to examination paper leaks, technical faults and cancelled tests triggered outrage.
The main protest site is Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, a historic ۱۸th‑century astronomical observatory, close to Parliament Street.
Demonstrators have also occupied parts of Parliament Street since Monday, with many demonstrators camping on the key thoroughfare that connects Parliament House to Connaught Place, the Indian capital’s central commercial square.
The Jantar Mantar site has seen bouts of unrest and violence this week. On Monday, the protests escalated after police fired tear gas and baton-charged demonstrators as they tried to march to parliament.
Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the Indian government over “excessive use of force” by the police and suspension of mobile internet services at Jantar Mantar.
The CJP’s demands include Pradhan’s immediate resignation, the dropping of cases against peaceful demonstrators and ۱۰ million rupees ($۱۰۴,۰۰۰) in financial assistance for each of the families of more than ۲۰ students who have died by suicide since recent exam cancellations.
Sonam Wangchuk calls off his hunger strike
Indian activist Wangchuk ended his ۲۶-day hunger strike, also demanding the resignation of Pradhan.
In a post on X late on Thursday night, Wangchuk, ۵۹, said he ended his fast after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country”.
Wangchuk’s fast was broken in the presence of Indian Health Minister JP Nadda and the junior Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh, who offered Wangchuk his first sip to end the protest.
“The government is positive on not registering cases against those protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and those participating in the march to the Parliament on July ۲۰, ۲۰۲۶,” Nadda said, according to the social media platforms of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Nadda added: “The government has already assured threadbare discussions to find solutions to paper leaks and educational reforms for exams in the Parliament. Besides, the government is also positively considering suitable compensation for the suicide victims of recent NEET paper leaks.”
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET is a national examination for entry into medical schools. It is taken by more than two million students each year, but examination papers have leaked thrice in the past five years — including this year.
What have Modi and other leaders said?
Hours after Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, two senior government ministers and two leaders of the CJP met for talks.
The meeting raised hopes that the sides could be moving towards a breakthrough in the crisis in which tens of thousands of angry youth are demanding Pradhan’s resignation as a measure of accountability from the government over paper leaks.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!” Modi wrote on X on Thursday.
“We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. … Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”
What have the students said?
On Thursday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that ۱۶ Metro stations in New Delhi would be closed until further notice.
In response to this, the CJP’s founding president, Abhijeet Dipke, wrote in an X post: “Modi is ready to shut down all of Delhi, but not sack Dharmendra Pradhan.”
Dipke made a series of posts on X on Friday emphasising the demand for Pradan’s removal.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka dismissed Modi’s judicial proposal as insufficient to address underlying systemic failures.
“The announcement of fast-track courts is not a real solution. It is merely a distraction,” Ranka said in a statement at Jantar Mantar. “Paper leaks are not happening because India lacked fast-track courts. They are happening because Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been completely incompetent.”
What’s next?
After the meeting on Friday, CJP’s leaders said the government asked to be given until Saturday afternoon to respond to their demand for Pradhan to resign.
A senior Indian government minister said on Thursday that the government was always open to talks, for however long it would take, and that it would not “stand on prestige”.
