India: Modi promises speedy courts in exam fraud sparking protests | Objections

Cockroach Janta Party protesters have taken to the streets in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Pradhan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in the exam paper leak, giving his first response to the public. youth-led protests against his government.

Protests have escalated in New Delhi after allegations of irregularities in entrance exams for international medical schools, leading to a crackdown this week by security forces.

Demonstrators have lined Parliament Street for three days and set up camp on the main road that connects Parliament with Connaught Place, India’s central commercial hub.

“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!” Modi wrote on X Thursday.

“We have decided to set up an urgent judiciary to give swift and severe punishment to those involved in the paper leak. … Those who try to destroy the future of our youth will not be spared.”

Riots are planned under Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a cyber-bullying group formed in May that has turned into a national platform calling for the trial reform and resignation of Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Speaking to Indian news agency ANI at the protest site at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, CJP founding president Abhijeet Dipke accused the instigators of the recent violence to denigrate the protests.

“People are being sent from abroad to create confusion,” Dipke told ANI. “We’ve been here for a month. Nothing like this has happened. … Goons are being sent out … to deliberately inspire people.”

Dipke later wrote on X that Modi seemed “ready to shut down all of Delhi, but not remove Dharmendra Pradhan”.

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka criticized Modi’s judicial proposal as insufficient to address systemic failures.

“The announcement of fast-track courts is not a real solution. It is just a distraction,” Ranka said in a speech at Jantar Mantar. “The release of papers is not happening because India did not have fast track courts. This is happening because education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not done well.”

The CJP’s demands include the immediate resignation of Pradhan, the withdrawal of charges against the peaceful protests and 10 million rupees ($120,000) in aid to each of the families of at least 12 students who have died by suicide since the exams ended.

“On Monday, we saw this group calling for a march to Parliament, and we saw it unprecedented events the capital of New Delhi, thousands of people came,” said Al Jazeera’s Neeha Poonia, in New Delhi.

“In the last few hours, we hear that 16 stations around the protest site have been closed by the authorities,” he added on Thursday. “The people there say that after what happened on Monday with the rioting by the police, it only strengthened their courage not to stop the protest.”

On Monday, protesters marching to the parliament were met by police who fired tear gas and used batons. Small protests began on Wednesday in major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna.

The rapid rise of the CJP reflects the growing discontent among the youth of India due to unemployment and repeated dropouts. The group has also given opposition leaders a chance to challenge Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party.