Indian student protests: what to do after Modi’s exam leak promise? | | Educational Matters

Late on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to take strong action against those who leaked the exam papers in the biggest protest against his government in his third term.

Modi promised to set up fast-track courts to punish those involved in the leak, speaking to students on Instagram. This was his first response youth-led protests which have exploded across the country, and their larvae within the capital city of New Delhi.

That night, Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk, who supports the students, called off a 26-day hunger strike aimed at forcing the government to respond to their demands.

However, student advocates he said that they will continue with the agitation until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

We break it recent protests which not only affected New Delhi, but also spread to other cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna, see what is coming.

What are the protests?

These shows are organized by a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online satirical group formed in May that has turned into a national platform demanding educational reforms and the resignation of Pradhan over the leak of exam papers.

The protest took place later in the near future Related to the leak of exam papers, technical errors and canceled exams sparked outrage.

The main exhibition center is Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, an 18th-century observatory, near Parliament Street.

Demonstrations have also taken place in parts of Parliament Street since Monday, with many protestors camping on the main road that connects Parliament to Connaught Place, India’s central commercial hub.

The Jantar Mantar site has seen riots and violence this week. On Monday, the protests escalated as police fired tear gas and baton-wielding protesters as they tried to approach the parliament.

Rights groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have criticized the Indian government for “excessive use of force” by the police and the suspension of Internet services at Jantar Mantar.

The CJP’s demands include the immediate resignation of Pradhan, the withdrawal of charges against the peaceful protests and 10 million rupees ($104,000) in financial aid to each of the families of the more than 20 students who have died by suicide since the exams ended.

Sonam Wangchuk stopped her hunger

Indian activist Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike, again forcing Pradhan’s resignation.

In a letter to X on Thursday night, Wangchuk, 59, said he ended the fast after “long discussions on various issues and because of the possible violence in the country”.

Wangchuk’s fast was broken in the presence of India’s Health Minister JP Nadda and Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh, who gave Wangchuk his first sip to end the protests.

“The government intends to register cases against those who are peacefully protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and those who are taking part in the march to Parliament on July 20, 2026,” Nadda said, according to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) social media.

Nadda added: “The government has already confirmed futile talks to find solutions to the paper leak and changes in the syllabus in the Parliament exam. Besides, the government is also considering a fair compensation for the people who committed suicide due to the recent NEET paper leak.”

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test or NEET is a national exam for admission to medical schools. It is taken by more than two million students each year, but test papers have been leaked three times in the past five years – including this year.

What have Modi and other leaders said?

A few hours after Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, two state ministers and two CJP leaders met for a discussion.

The meeting raised hopes that the parties are making progress on the issue as thousands of youths are calling for Pradhan’s resignation as a way to hold the government accountable for the paper leak.

“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.”

What did the students say?

On Thursday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that 16 Metro stations in New Delhi will remain closed until further notice.

Responding to this, the founding president of CJP, Abhijeet Dipke, wrote in an X post that: “Modi is ready to shut down entire Delhi, but not remove Dharmendra Pradhan.”

Dipke made several posts on X on Friday stressing the importance of Pradan’s removal.

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.”

What’s next?

After the meeting on Friday, the CJP leaders said the government had asked to be given till Saturday afternoon to respond to their demand for Pradhan’s resignation.

India’s top minister said on Thursday that the government is always open to dialogue, even if it takes a long time, and that it will “not stop being popular”.