Indian police fire tear gas, baton charge exam protesters

NEW DELHI, July 20: Indian police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters in New Delhi Monday as they tried to march on parliament to demand the resignation of the education minister over irregularities in major examinations.

The protesters, mostly young students, ran for cover as police charged at them and fired tear gas shells near JantarMantar in the Indian capital.

They are seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches.

Thousands of protesters started gathering from early Monday, defying a steady monsoon drizzle and police barricades, marking one of the biggest demonstrations in the capital for five years.

"Our country deserves a government that is bothered about what the young people have to say and is willing to correct its mistakes," said Sumit Kumar, 18.
"The future belongs to us and not these politicians."

The protest comes after prominent activist SonamWangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital Saturday, bringing an abrupt end to his 20-day hunger strike in support of youths and the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.

The CJP has won millions of followers on social media since its launch in May, tapping into widespread anger over the country's education system and unemployment.

"Is this a war zone? Why is the police resorting to tear gas assault on peaceful protesters?" CJP said in a post on X.

"First your govt ignored this protest for a month and now when we are peacefully marching your govt is attacking us. Why?"

The movement is seen as one of the biggest challenges to Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he won his third term in office in 2024.

Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world's most populous nation still struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.�"AFP