CJP vows to continue agitation until Indian education minister resigns
Nearly 180 injured as police action fails to halt anti-NEET protests in New Delhi
New Delhi:India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has vowed to continue its agitation until the Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns, a day after at least 180 people were injured in protests in New Delhi.
According to Kashmir Media Service, thousands of protesters gathered in the Indian capital on Monday, demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and comprehensive reforms to the country’s examination system, in what was one of the largest demonstrations organized by the CJP movement.
Since its emergence in May, the CJP has attracted millions of supporters on social media, evolving into one of the most significant public movements challenging the Narendra Modi-led BJP government during its third term.
“We won’t stop. Pradhan has to be sacked,” CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka said in a social media post.
Hundreds of protesters remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, reiterating their demand for the education minister’s resignation and broader reforms to India’s examination system.
On Monday, Delhi Police used tear gas and baton charges to stop protesters from marching towards the Indian Parliament. According to police, at least 178 people were injured in the clashes, including 118 police personnel and around 60 protesters.
Condemning the police action, protest organisers said that the authorities used excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, injuring hundreds of them. Calling it “a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy,” Ranka said students protesting over a genuine issue had been brutally assaulted by police. He added that the government had yet to respond to the protesters’ demands.
The protests were triggered by a series of examination scandals that have undermined public confidence in India’s testing system. More than 2.2 million medical aspirants were forced to retake the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) [NEET-UG] examination, India’s premier pre-medical entrance test, last month after the original test was cancelled following a question paper leak. The controversy came amid another scandal involving the online evaluation system for examinations taken by nearly two million high school students.
