NEW DELHI: India’s student protest movement intensified pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Wednesday as opposition parties joined demonstrators in demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and disrupted parliament over police violence and “corrupt education system”. Opposition political parties forced the suspension of parliament proceedings.
Opposition lawmakers, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, staged a demonstration outside parliament before entering the chambers, where they demanded a debate on police violence against student protesters and the leak of medical entrance examination papers. Parliament proceedings were suspended amid the protests.
🚨 Parliament isn’t silent today!
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal and opposition MPs have taken their protest inside the Parliament complex. ✊🇮🇳
Back on protest again, Rahul Gandhi refuses to step back. 🔥#ParliamentProtest #RahulGandhi #ModiGovt… pic.twitter.com/QTj6p9Npag
— @Moini (@moini_565) July 22, 2026
The demonstrations, which began last month after the leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper affecting around two million candidates, have evolved into the biggest youth challenge to Modi’s government.
Tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police in New Delhi on Monday after attempting to march towards parliament. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds.
पटना में युवाओं का प्रदर्शन,
पूरे देश में विरोध है फिर भी इस्तीफा नहीं 🤔 pic.twitter.com/XEZqkHyYlG
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 22, 2026
Opposition backs India’s student movement
Outside parliament on Wednesday, opposition lawmakers dressed in black held placards reading “Our children’s future is not for sale” and “Save lives, Stop NEET” while demanding Pradhan’s resignation.
They also chanted slogans against Modi and the education minister.
On Tuesday, Gandhi’s Congress party staged a sit-in outside the gates leading to the prime minister’s residence.
Police detained Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several senior opposition leaders after they refused to disperse. They were released later the same day.
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Gandhi said parliament had failed to address students’ concerns.
“We felt that if students across India were taking to the streets, the opposition should do the same,” Gandhi said.
मोदी जी, अहंकार छोड़िए।
छात्रों की गूंज सुनिए, उनकी 3 मांगें पूरी कीजिए।– नाकाम शिक्षा मंत्री धर्मेंद्र प्रधान से तत्काल इस्तीफा लीजिए।
– छात्रों पर बर्बरता करने वाले गुनहगारों की जवाबदेही तय कीजिए।
– छात्रों के साथ हुए हर अन्याय के लिए उनसे माफ़ी मांगिए।मैं, कांग्रेस पार्टी… pic.twitter.com/l6B2ZVXXCk
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 22, 2026
He said opposition leaders had first urged the Speaker to allow a debate on the examination controversy before marching towards the prime minister’s residence.
“The Speaker said he would consult the government… After the consultation, however, no discussion took place; the entire issue was ignored,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi reiterated his demand for Pradhan’s resignation, describing the minister as “a symbol” of irregularities in the education system and of the police action against protesters.
“To send a message to the students that we respect their sentiments, this man has got to go,” Gandhi said.
He also accused the government of attempting to divert public attention from the examination controversy and called for accountability over the police response to the demonstrations, followed by reforms to the country’s examination system.
Protest movement spreads nationwide
The protests are being led by the self-styled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a social media-driven movement that began in May as an online satire after Chief Justice Surya Kant likened young people to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a court hearing, sparking widespread outrage.
Since then, the movement has broadened its demands beyond examination reforms to include unemployment, opportunities for young people and what it describes as the Modi government’s increasingly authoritarian style of governance.
We want justice!
Morning…. pic.twitter.com/w1jNeEeKIq
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 22, 2026
According to AFP, crowds at the movement’s protest camp at Jantar Mantar in central New Delhi continued to grow on Wednesday.
“We will not leave Jantar Mantar until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka told supporters.
“In the country where people had forgotten how to ask questions, in the country where criticising the government was considered treason — we have now awakened that country,” he said.
Thousands of protesters gathered at the site on Wednesday despite light rain, while media reports said CJP leaders were expected to hold a second round of talks with a senior government minister.
"We will not leave Jantar Mantar until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,"
: Ashutosh Ranka pic.twitter.com/b536E5I8KT
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 22, 2026
Security remained tight in the capital. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said it had closed 16 stations in central New Delhi until further notice because of security concerns.
The demonstrations have spread beyond the capital, with protests reported in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu and Ahmedabad.
Rights groups condemn police violence
Rights groups criticised the police response to Monday’s demonstrations.
Amnesty International said in a statement that the Delhi Police’s actions raised “serious questions” about whether their response complied with the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality under international human rights standards.
India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear a petition alleging police brutality against protesters.
The CJP movement also received support from activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose hunger strike began on June 28.
He was forcibly taken to hospital by police on Saturday and later transferred to a private hospital following a court order after his wife alleged he had been illegally detained.
Growing challenge for Modi
The examination scandals have fuelled broader frustration among young Indians over unemployment and repeated allegations of examination paper leaks.
Analysts say the protests have also provided India’s fragmented opposition with a rare opportunity to challenge Modi’s BJP, which continues to rely heavily on support from younger voters despite losing its outright parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election.
“Student-led protests … risk spiralling into a larger political and social challenge for the Modi government, as it has touched a raw nerve among a young, growing workforce that is struggling to find jobs,” Shumita Deveshwar, chief India economist at consultancy TS Lombard, said.
