Three days of nationwide protests demanding sweeping reforms to India’s crisis-plagued education system have escalated into one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s newly elected third-term government, with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi released from custody Wednesday after being detained for a sit-in demonstration outside Modi’s New Delhi residence.
The unrest, organized by the rapidly growing social media-fueled movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began over a string of high-profile controversies that have shattered public confidence in India’s national examination system. The most recent scandals include a major leak of a national medical entrance exam that forced more than two million candidates to retake the test, and a separate dispute over flawed online grading of high school exams taken by nearly two million students across the country. Protesters are calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alongside systemic overhauls to examination governance.
Gandhi, leader of India’s main national opposition bloc, was detained Tuesday after staging a peaceful sit-in outside Modi’s official residence. In his remarks before detention, Gandhi accused the ruling government of deliberately ignoring student demands and condemned a heavy-handed police crackdown on peaceful demonstrations that took place in the capital the previous day. He was released from custody overnight as protests continued to spread across major urban centers.
The capital saw the worst unrest Monday, when demonstrations turned violent after police deployed tear gas and baton charges to clear crowds, with protesters responding by hurling stones at security personnel. It was the largest mass protest in New Delhi in five years. Official police figures confirm 60 civilian protesters and 118 police personnel were injured in the clashes. Solidarity demonstrations have since been held in other major Indian cities including Mumbai and Bengaluru, drawing hundreds of participants each.
As of Wednesday, hundreds of protesters remained camped out at New Delhi’s iconic Jantar Mantar protest ground, with the CJP vowing to continue its campaign until their demands are met. In a defiant social media statement Wednesday, the movement wrote, “Cockroaches are alive,” and reiterated its accusation that Pradhan is “incompetent” to lead the nation’s education portfolio. Launched only in May 2024, the CJP has already amassed millions of followers across social media platforms, emerging as a major grassroots counterweight to Modi’s Hindu nationalist administration after its third consecutive election victory earlier this year.
Facing mounting public pressure over his handling of the examination controversies, Pradhan broke his silence on the unrest late Tuesday, releasing a statement on social media acknowledging public anger and promising the government remains committed to change. “We owe them (students) answers, reforms and accountability,” Pradhan wrote. “That is exactly what our government remains committed to delivering,” he added, marking his first public comments on the unrest since Monday’s street clashes.