{"id":99838,"date":"2026-07-22T23:16:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T03:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/clashes-erupt-in-new-delhi-as-youth-protesters-demand-education-ministers-resignation\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T23:16:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T03:16:23","slug":"clashes-erupt-in-new-delhi-as-youth-protesters-demand-education-ministers-resignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/clashes-erupt-in-new-delhi-as-youth-protesters-demand-education-ministers-resignation\/","title":{"rendered":"Clashes Erupt in New Delhi as Youth Protesters Demand Education Minister’s Resignation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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NEW DELHI \u2014 Tensions boiled over in the Indian capital late Wednesday as youth demonstrators and police clashed in the streets of New Delhi, with officers deploying tear gas and striking protesters with canes in an effort to disperse the crowd, according to police and eyewitnesses on the scene.<\/p>

Local media estimated more than 10,000 people had converged on the Jantar Mantar protest site in central New Delhi. Leaders of the so-called “cockroach” movement pledged to keep the month-long demonstration going until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan steps down over exam paper leaks that affected approximately 2 million students back in May.<\/p>

The movement has grown into the most significant youth-led challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he first came to power in 2014. Opposition political parties have aligned themselves with the protesters’ demands, using the issue to disrupt the monsoon session of parliament, which opened earlier this week.<\/p>

Earlier in the week, tens of thousands of marchers headed toward parliament on Monday in defiance of a prohibition on such demonstrations. Police and paramilitary forces attempted to stop them using tear gas and canes.<\/p>

On Wednesday evening, the crowd at Jantar Mantar swelled and spilled beyond the protest site into surrounding streets before violence broke out. Some in the crowd hurled stones and plastic bottles at officers, injuring several police personnel who were taken to a hospital, according to news agency ANI, citing Delhi Police.<\/p>

Video footage circulated on the social media platform X \u2014 including clips posted by local journalists \u2014 showed small groups of individuals in confrontations with police wielding canes and firing tear gas. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the authenticity of those videos.<\/p>

The movement, which calls itself the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, began as an online satirical effort involving only a few hundred young people before rapidly gaining momentum.<\/p>

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke addressed the crowd late Wednesday night, making clear the group’s position. “It has been 25 days so far. Even if it takes 25 months, that is acceptable, but we will not move from here,” he said.<\/p>

Delhi Metro Rail Corp. announced it would close 16 stations in and around central New Delhi on Thursday until further notice \u2014 the second major shutdown of its kind this week, driven by security concerns surrounding the protests.<\/p>

Modi’s government has responded to the mounting pressure by holding one round of discussions with CJP leaders and pledging to take their demands under consideration. Officials have also offered to debate the matter in parliament and pursue reforms to the country’s exam system.<\/p>

Opposition groups, led by the Congress party, have thrown their weight behind the protesters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi personally led a demonstration outside Modi’s residence and near the parliament building. Gandhi stated that the resignation of Pradhan is non-negotiable and that opposition leaders would convene Thursday morning to map out their next steps in parliament.<\/p>

The CJP’s rapid rise in popularity reflects widespread frustration among India’s young population over issues including a shortage of jobs and recurring exam leaks, which protesters say are a persistent problem. The movement has also handed opposition parties a rare opportunity to apply pressure on Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, which has long counted young voters among its core supporters. The BJP has won several state elections since a surprising outcome in the 2024 national election, in which Modi failed to secure an outright parliamentary majority.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thousands of young protesters flooded the streets of New Delhi on Wednesday night, clashing with police who responded with tear gas and canes. The demonstrations, now a month old, are centered on demands that the education minister step down over exam paper leaks that impacted roughly 2 million students. The unrest has grown into the largest youth-driven challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took office in 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":99837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784776583045.jpg?fit=450%2C313&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-pYi","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":98586,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/indias-youth-protest-movement-vows-to-press-on-after-delhi-clashes-leave-180-hurt\/","url_meta":{"origin":99838,"position":0},"title":"India’s Youth Protest Movement Vows to Press On After Delhi Clashes Leave 180 Hurt","author":"Admin","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A youth-led protest movement in India is pushing forward with demonstrations despite violent clashes in central New Delhi that left nearly 180 people injured. 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The movement, which has grown significantly since its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784550668133.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784550668133.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784550668133.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784550668133.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98681,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/indias-cockroach-movement-protesters-vow-to-stand-firm-after-police-crackdown\/","url_meta":{"origin":99838,"position":2},"title":"India’s Cockroach Movement Protesters Vow to Stand Firm After Police Crackdown","author":"Admin","date":"July 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Youth protesters in New Delhi are refusing to leave their demonstration site after police used tear gas and batons to break up their march toward Parliament. The movement, called the Cockroach Janta Party, is demanding the resignation of India's Education Minister over alleged failures in the country's examination system. 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The movement, which has attracted millions of social media followers, was further energized after activist Sonam Wangchuk was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784517546467.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":99232,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/indias-education-minister-vows-reform-amid-massive-youth-protests-over-exam-scandal\/","url_meta":{"origin":99838,"position":5},"title":"India’s Education Minister Vows Reform Amid Massive Youth Protests Over Exam Scandal","author":"Admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"India's education minister has pledged that the government will address student concerns and debate exam reforms following massive protests sparked by a medical school test paper leak. 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