India’s Modi under pressure as youth protest leaders set for more talks

• Protesters demand “clarity on Dharmendra Pradhan’s future”.
• Police baton charges, tear gas fire leave several students injured.
• Protests could spread unless Pradhan steps down: CJP leaders.
  

The Indian government was set to begin a fresh round of talks on Saturday with leaders of a Gen-Z protest that led to disruptions in the capital this week, as demonstrators press a demand for the education minister to resign.

The protests represent the biggest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014, their demands echoed by opposition parties, which disrupted parliament’s monsoon session that began this week.

Thousands of supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) rallied in central Delhi despite the fourth day of closure of the city’s 18 metro stations, as authorities tried to limit access to the protest site.

“They have given us a time between 3:30pm and 4pm today,” said Ashutosh Ranka, the party’s national spokesperson.

“We need clarity on Dharmendra Pradhan’s future,” he added, referring to the education minister, whom students want to see take responsibility for flaws in the examination system.

“Will the government seek his resignation or not? We want a yes or no answer.”

Anger has boiled over since police cracked down on Monday, injuring many students after they launched baton charges and fired tear gas to deter tens of thousands of protesters marching on parliament.

The protests, led largely by young people, reflect anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability, widening since they were unleashed by discontent over leaks of question-papers for high-stakes entrance exams.

At Friday’s talks, party representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka warned federal ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh the protests could spread unless Pradhan stepped down.

Those talks came hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike, raising hopes for a breakthrough.

The government extended a mobile internet shutdown in the area for the fifth straight day on Saturday, two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Protesters aired frustration over the extended shutdown but vowed not to let it weaken their movement.

“They can shut down internet, metros and buses, but what will that achieve? Nothing. People who want to join the protest will still come,” said Rahul Raj, a 34-year-old protester at the site.

The protests were galvanised by leaks of question papers for medical school entrance examinations that forced more than 2 million candidates to retake tests, exposing shortcomings in the education system.

Protesters are demanding the education minister’s resignation and sweeping exam reforms.