Thousands of young protesters demanding the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan briefly clashed with police in New Delhi on Wednesday night, with officers using tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd.
Local media estimated that more than 10,000 people gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site in central New Delhi as leaders of the self-styled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) vowed to continue demonstrations until the minister stepped down over alleged examination paper leaks that affected around two million students in May.
The month-long protests have grown into the biggest youth-led challenge facing Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took office in 2014, with opposition parties backing the movement and disrupting Parliament’s ongoing monsoon session.
Earlier this week, tens of thousands of protesters marched towards Parliament despite restrictions, prompting police and paramilitary personnel to respond with tear gas and baton charges.
On Wednesday, demonstrators again gathered at Jantar Mantar, waving Indian flags and chanting slogans, while another group staged a protest outside Parliament.
By evening, the crowd had grown to more than 10,000 and spilled onto surrounding roads before violence broke out.
According to Delhi Police, some protesters threw stones and plastic bottles at officers, leaving several policemen injured and requiring hospital treatment.
Videos circulating on social media platform X showed police using batons and firing tear gas to push back groups of protesters. Reuters said it could not independently verify the footage.
The CJP movement began as an online satire involving only a few hundred young people before rapidly gaining nationwide support.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the protest would continue until Pradhan resigned.
“It has been 25 days so far. Even if it takes 25 months, that is acceptable, but we will not move from here,” he told supporters on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced the closure of 16 metro stations in and around central New Delhi on Thursday until further notice due to security concerns. It is the second large-scale shutdown this week linked to the protests.
Facing mounting pressure, Modi’s government has held one round of talks with CJP leaders and pledged to consider their demands. The government has also offered to debate the issue in Parliament and introduce reforms to the country’s examination system.
Opposition parties, led by the Congress Party, have thrown their support behind the protesters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has led demonstrations outside the Prime Minister’s residence and Parliament.
Gandhi said the demand for Pradhan’s resignation was non-negotiable and that opposition leaders would meet on Thursday to determine their next steps in Parliament.
The growing popularity of the CJP reflects mounting frustration among young Indians over unemployment and recurring examination paper leaks, issues they say have become increasingly common.
The movement has also provided opposition parties with a fresh opportunity to challenge Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has traditionally enjoyed strong support among young voters despite suffering a setback in the 2024 general election when it failed to secure an outright parliamentary majority.
