.jpg)
The largest protests in years have raged through the streets and parks in the heart of India's capital for days as young demonstrators call for reform to the country's exam system, which they claim denies millions of people a fair shot.
Tear gas and police violence, including sticks and batons, were used against the largely Gen-Z demonstrators earlier this week as they attempted to convey their demands to the parliament building in the center of the largest democracy in the world.
The demonstrators' refusal to back down has set up a protracted conflict with Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government, which his detractors claim has suppressed opposition throughout the course of its more than ten years in office.
Following Monday's violence, officials of the protesting party reported that some 150 demonstrators were transported to the hospital with injuries. Outrage has been generated by videos of the police crackdown that were widely circulated hours after the incident due to a government-ordered internet outage. According to Delhi police, 118 of its personnel were hurt during the "violent protests."
Prior to the march, Delhi Police deemed it illegal and issued prohibitory orders.
On Tuesday, the demonstrators—many of whom displayed the injuries they had sustained at the hands of the police—returned to Jantar Mantar, a 300-year-old observatory encircled by a sizable open park, and reconstructed the temporary camp that had been their headquarters. The day prior, police had destroyed it.
Disobedience erupted at the camp.
Sudhir Kumar, who was present at the event on Monday and claimed to have witnessed demonstrators being hit by police, declared, "We will stand here with pride."
"Education is the main topic here," stated Kumar, who claimed to have spent a year studying for a prominent medical school admission exam before discovering the papers had been compromised.
He told CNN, "What we face when you prepare for the entire year and at D-Day you hear it's rigged."
The march to parliament was peaceful, according to Mohammad Taj, who came to Delhi from the nearby state of Haryana and whose face was severely injured during the crackdown on Monday.
However, the cops suddenly began striking us with batons; I'm not sure what happened. They hit everyone, including women, children, and elderly men.
By nightfall, the place was overrun with people, spilling into the streets and lanes.
They chanted together, demanding "freedom," saying, "Whenever Modi is scared, he brings out the police."
Anger on a large scale
One of the largest protests against the Modi administration in years was the march on Parliament on Monday.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement that started out as a joke but has since developed into a political force expressing the annoyances of millions of young Indians, organized it.
Abhijeet Dipke, a graduate of Boston University, founded the CJP in response to remarks made by India's top justice in May that many took to mean that the country's jobless youth were "cockroaches." Many people thought these comments were disrespectful, particularly in a nation where teenage unemployment is still stubbornly high.
Recent demonstrations over claims that entrance exam papers for elite and fiercely competitive medical schools were leaked and sold have been led by the CJP. Millions of people had to retake the test.
Exam paper leaks and technical issues have plagued India's education system for a long time, burdening pupils and putting a financial pressure on families who devote all of their resources to raising their children.
After Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known Indian activist who was on a hunger strike in favor of the campaign, was taken from the protest site and sent to the hospital, anger grew throughout the weekend. Police were seen lifting Wangchuk away while holding sheets to obscure the view as protesters attempted to interfere.
The demands of the demonstrators have not received a public response from Modi, who seldom reacts to criticism. He issued a message on Tuesday through the minister of legislative affairs, who informed reporters that the Indian leader was determined to make sure there were no more paper leaks.
Dharmendra Pradhan, the minister of education, has not yet made a public statement regarding the demonstrations on Monday. He called the CJP the "B-team of terror groups" in an interview with Indian news channel NDTV last month.
The head of India's biggest opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was briefly arrested on Tuesday for staging a sit-in outside Modi's home and demanding his resignation.
The demonstrators seem to be becoming more resolute, stating that they would keep sitting in until their demands are fulfilled.
A reorganization of the exam system and a change in the minister of education are now insufficient for some. They are calling for the removal of Modi, who has presided over the BJP's more than ten-year hegemony in Indian politics.
Protester Talwar stated, "I was just standing when police in civilian clothes hit me with batons." "Until Modi leaves, this country won't change."
