India's youth-led Cockroach movement holds new talks with government

Leaders of India's youth-led Cockroach movement held a second round of talks with government officials on Friday, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised legal reforms and faster punishment for people involved in exam paper leaks.

The protests in New Delhi have been led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP. The movement has demanded an overhaul of the education system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after repeated testing scandals.

Thousands of people have joined the demonstrations, which the source describes as one of the biggest challenges to Modi's government since his 2024 re-election for a third term. Marches on Monday turned into violent clashes with police.

At the Jantar Mantar protest site, 20-year-old student Sushmita told AFP that she felt the government had delayed action for too long. She asked why it had taken the government so long to announce steps, and said she did not know how Modi and his government could return to young people for support in the next elections.

The protest has broadened to include concerns about unemployment, opportunities for young people and what critics describe as Modi's increasingly authoritarian style of government.

Saurav Das, a spokesperson for the youth-led movement, told reporters before Friday's meeting that the movement hoped the government would come with an open mind and listen to people who had been on the roads for a long time. He said the movement would explain its demands in detail.

India's opposition parties backed the protests and disrupted proceedings in the lower house of parliament on Friday. They urged Pradhan to resign before any debate on proposed reforms. Kiren Rijiju of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said the government was ready for a debate and asked the opposition not to set conditions.

In a late-night social media post, Modi said his cabinet would discuss steps on Friday to speed up court proceedings against people involved in examination leaks. He did not mention Pradhan's resignation. Modi said that after suggestions from cabinet colleagues were incorporated, draft legislation would be given its final shape, and that the government would try to have the bill introduced and passed by the House as soon as possible.

Modi's intervention followed pressure from protesters and civil rights groups, and a first round of talks with senior minister JP Nadda on Monday. The second round of talks was with Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

Prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike in support of the movement late Thursday. He said on social media that the government had assured him no action would be taken against peaceful demonstrators. He also said the government had assured protesters that parliament would hold a full debate on the issue and on improving accountability in the education and examination system.

Protests escalated on Monday when police fired tear gas and used batons against tens of thousands of demonstrators in New Delhi. The source described it as the capital's largest street rally in five years.

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the social media movement, welcomed Wangchuk's decision to end his hunger strike but said the movement would continue until its demands were met. In a social media post, Dipke said Wangchuk had put his life on the line and awakened the conscience of a nation.