The protests, which started last month over the leak of medical school entrance exam papers that affected some two million students, grew this week into the biggest youth challenge to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of New Delhi on Monday, clashing with police who used tear gas and batons to push them back.
Opposition lawmakers led by Rahul Gandhi gathered outside the parliament building in New Delhi on Wednesday, many dressed in black and waving placards calling on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to quit.
“Our children’s future is not for sale”, “Save lives, Stop NEET”, the placards read, referring to the National Eligibility and Entrance Test, as the medical school exam is called.
They also shouted slogans against Modi and Pradhan.
Once inside parliament, opposition lawmakers demanded a debate on alleged police violence against student protesters and on the exam paper leak, forcing a temporary suspension of proceedings.
Modi and Pradhan have said they are willing to debate the issue and broader education reforms.
On Tuesday, Gandhi’s main opposition Congress party launched a sit-in outside the gates leading to Modi’s residence.
Police detained Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Vadra, and several other senior opposition leaders after they refused to end their protest, but released them late on Tuesday.
The protests by the self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) began as an online satire and involved only a few hundred young people when they were first launched.
On Wednesday, more than 1,000 protesters gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi, shouting slogans, waving the Indian flag and braving a drizzle.
Media reports said CJP leaders were due to hold a second round of talks with a senior government minister since Monday.
Security remained high in the capital and the Delhi Metro Rail Corp said it was shutting 16 stations in the central areas until further notice due to security concerns.
The protests have also spread outside the capital, with demonstrations by youth and opposition groups being held in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu and Ahmedabad. (Reuters)
