Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained by police on Tuesday after staging a sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in Delhi, demanding Modi's resignation over what Gandhi called the destruction of India's youth. Gandhi's arrest came amid a second consecutive day of mass demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a newly formed youth movement calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated exam paper leak scandals and broader failures in India's education system. The protests, which drew more than 50,000 people on Monday before police dispersed crowds with batons and teargas — injuring at least 60 civilians and leaving one protester on a ventilator — showed no sign of easing, with thousands remaining camped at Delhi's Jantar Mantar (a historic public protest site in central Delhi) on Tuesday and vowing to stay until the government responds to their demands.
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Rahul Gandhi detained as youth-led education protests grip Delhi for second day[Updated]
Direct talks between CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and senior federal ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh took place Friday, with the government requesting until Saturday afternoon to formally respond to demands for Education Minister Pradhan's resignation — a condition CJP leaders said remained non-negotiable. The CJP's Instagram page has surpassed 25 million followers, more than twice that of Modi's ruling BJP, underscoring the movement's rapid digital growth since Boston University graduate student Abhijeet Dipke launched the group online after India's chief justice compared unemployed youth to "cockroaches." Eighteen Delhi Metro stations in central Delhi entered a fourth consecutive day of closure Saturday due to security concerns around the Jantar Mantar protest site. Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency announced it had dismissed 47 officials — some facing potential criminal charges — and advertised senior leadership vacancies including four General Manager posts, as part of a structural overhaul recommended by a government-appointed expert committee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence on the protests Wednesday, promising fast-track courts to punish officials responsible for exam paper leaks, though the CJP swiftly rejected the offer as a "Band-aid" that falls short of accountability. Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on hunger strike for 26 days demanding Education Minister Pradhan's resignation, ended his fast Thursday night in the presence of two Union Ministers after receiving written government assurances that non-violent protesters would not face charges and that compensation for families of exam-related suicide victims would be considered. Modi later posted a late-night video pledging that NEET paper leaks would be discussed at Friday's Cabinet meeting and that stricter anti-leak legislation would be introduced in Parliament next week. Parliament itself has been paralysed for five consecutive days, with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha unable to conduct any business as opposition MPs continue demanding a full debate on the scandal and Pradhan's resignation.