‘Cockroach’ protests: India’s Modi promises to punish officials over exam leaks | India

Narendra Modi has vowed to set up “fast-track courts” to speed up the sentencing of officials accused of leaking exam papers, as India’s prime minister seeks to quell the youth-led “cockroach” protest movement that has shaken Delhi and posed one of the biggest challenges for his government.

In his first public speech on the movement, Modi shared on X: “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth… Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”

The bid for ever-faster justice from India’s clogged judiciary, which can take decades to reach a verdict, was swiftly rejected by the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), the satirical name coined by the youth protest movement after India’s chief justice called unemployed youths “cockroaches”.

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said: “This is a band-aid. This does not give us accountability. There have been zero convictions so far in all these years, so this measure is of no use.” The main demand of the movement is the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan as well as reform of the education system.

An estimated 50,000 people protested in Delhi on Monday after police denied permission to march to parliament. Officers then charged with batons and used tear gas. By Wednesday, more than 1,000 people remained camped at CJP’s protest site in central Delhi despite the exhausting heat and humidity. Many had traveled long distances to get there.

Renuka Chowdhury, an opposition MP from the Congress party, told news channel India Today that no one could understand why Modi did not sack Pradhan. “Honestly, is this one minister more valuable or more important than restoring harmony and order to the country?” he said.

Modi’s statement comes after signs that the government may be softening its stance. Ministers insisted they were willing to meet the CJP but refused to discuss Pradhan’s resignation.

The protest site at Jantar Mantar attracted crowds of supporters eager to show their solidarity. Many people who could not fit into the closed area jumped onto the surrounding roads. Some organize donations of food and water sent by well-wishers, while others – including police officers on duty – distribute meals to ventilate those wilting from the heat or collect garbage.

Youth across India have also rallied behind CJP’s demands, with three consecutive days of demonstrations in Mumbai and solidarity protests in Chennai, Indore, Hyderabad and Patiala.

At a press conference on Wednesday, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi stepped up his criticism and demanded Pradhan’s resignation as well as Modi’s apology for failing to provide a fair education system.

Gandhi said 152 exam papers were leaked across the country in the last decade without a single conviction.

“Someone or a group of people is destroying India’s most valuable asset, our education system, destroying the lives of our students. What is the government doing? Zero convictions,” he said.

Health minister JP Nadda accused Gandhi of using the protests for political gain.

“Your concern is not to improve the education system, to increase the quality of education, or to ensure justice for students. You are trying to use students’ problems and demands for political gain. You are trying to gain political benefit from these, and this is unfortunate,” he said.

CJP leaders were deeply disappointed after a meeting with Nadda on Monday – the first in 60 days – ended without any progress. Its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, said that if ministers wanted to talk to them, they should come to the protest site and do it in public.

Many people in India are asking why Pradhan will not resign. Opposition politician Anish Gawande said Modi saw backing down as a sign of weakness, especially since he no longer had the parliamentary majority he had in his first two terms.

“It faces global setbacks that prevent it from making major reforms in agriculture, energy and the economy. The unemployment rate is climbing to levels not seen in three decades,” he said. “The current show of weakness will provide an entry point for the opposition to mobilize and build similar momentum around other issues.” […] Before you knew it, things got out of control.”