India Seeks Time To Answer Youth Protests Calling For Education Minister’s Exit

Overview

• Tens of thousands of young protesters gathered in New Delhi at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over widespread exam paper leaks.
• Senior ministers J. P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh held substantive talks with CJP spokespeople Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and described the meeting as cordial.
• After the session the government asked for extra time to respond to the protesters’ key demand and scheduled a follow-up meeting to address the movement’s agenda.
• The CJP’s three core demands are Pradhan’s removal, withdrawal of police cases against demonstrators, and compensation for families of students who reportedly died after the leaks.
• Pressure on the government has grown because an activist ended a 26-day hunger strike and opposition parties have disrupted Parliament, raising the risk that the protests could widen and deepen political fallout.