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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged tougher action against examination fraud, promising swift punishment for those behind question paper leaks as nationwide student protests continue to challenge his government.
In a post on social media on Thursday, Modi said protecting the future of young people remained a priority and announced plans to establish fast-track courts to prosecute those involved in examination malpractice.
He warned that anyone responsible for jeopardising the future of India’s youth would face severe consequences.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth,” he said.
“Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” he added.
The remarks came a day after thousands of demonstrators, led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, rallied in New Delhi, where clashes broke out with police.
The demonstrators, most of them students, are demanding the resignation of the country’s education minister over repeated examination paper leaks.
The protests intensified earlier this week after police used tear gas and batons to disperse those attempting to march to parliament on the opening day of the monsoon legislative session.
Demonstrators responded by throwing stones, leading to one of the largest protests in the capital in about five years.
Police said at least 178 people, including security personnel, were injured during the unrest.
The CJP movement emerged in May as a satirical response to remarks reportedly made by Chief Justice Surya Kant during a court hearing but has since evolved into a broader campaign against unemployment, limited opportunities for young people and what organisers describe as the government’s increasingly authoritarian approach.
The protests have become one of the most significant political challenges facing Modi since he secured a third term in office in 2024.
Residents again gathered near Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, with police and the participants blaming each other for the violence that followed.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka accused police of using excessive force, shutting down internet services and assaulting demonstrators, while Delhi Police said officers were attacked with stones and plastic bottles, leaving several personnel injured.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) Delhi Police cracked down heavily on protesters outside Jantar Mantar,” Ranka said.
The opposition has backed the protests, disrupting parliamentary proceedings and demanding an apology from the prime minister over the police response.
Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi accused Modi of undermining India’s education system and shielding those responsible for its failures.
“You are the one who has harmed the future of our youth the most,” Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party said on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, referring to Modi.
“You allowed and encouraged the total capture and destruction of our education system — and protected every person responsible for it.”
The rallies have also spread to cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna, while students in neighbouring Bangladesh announced plans for a torchlight rally in solidarity with participants in New Delhi.
Public anger has been fuelled by a series of examination controversies, including the leak of a medical entrance examination paper that forced more than two million candidates to retake the test, as well as disputes over the marking of examinations taken by nearly two million secondary school students.
