India youth protests continue after curbs over NEET leak

Thousands of young protesters have vowed to continue nationwide demonstrations, rejecting government appeals for dialogue and defying severe restrictions imposed in India's capital as a political crisis over a major exam paper leak deepens. The youth-led movement, calling itself the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and has organized what has become the largest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in over a decade.

The immediate catalyst was the cancellation in May of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), a crucial medical school entrance exam, after authorities confirmed the question paper had been leaked. The decision affected approximately 2 million students who had taken the test, forcing a re-examination and plunging their futures into uncertainty. The controversy has been linked to several student suicides in the intervening weeks, which hardened public anger and fueled the protests.

What began as an online satirical campaign rapidly evolved into a physical occupation of Delhi's Jantar Mantar protest site near parliament. The movement escalated dramatically on July 20,...