India student protests over exam leaks test Modi government

Narendra Modi ordered fast-track courts for exam paper leak cases after student protests over repeated leaks and education corruption escalated into a broader challenge to his government. The unrest, driven by demands for reform and for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to quit, has tapped a deeper frustration among young Indians who see schooling as failing to deliver jobs or mobility.

Sonam Wangchuk, the prominent activist who has become a face of the agitation, began fasting in New Delhi on June 28 in solidarity with the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party. By July 14, he was pressing for Pradhan’s resignation, and police moved him to hospital on July 18 after more than two weeks without food. His protest gave the movement a national symbol as students linked exam leaks to corruption, unemployment and fraud in the education system.

The anger turned violent on July 20, when demonstrators tried to march on Parliament in New Delhi and police used tear gas and batons to push them back. The clashes left 180 people injured, while at least 60 protesters were wounded in Central Delhi during the initial crackdown. Thousands returned to protest again on July 21, showing that the arrests and injuries had not broken the momentum.

The political reach widened beyond student campuses. Congress supporters staged a demonstration outside the prime minister’s house on July 22, creating an unusually open line of attack against a leader long identified with economic competence and administrative control. The CJP’s rise has been described as a rare opening for the opposition, and the students’ grievances have sharpened that vulnerability by turning exam leaks into a test of whether Modi’s development story still persuades young voters.

The immediate trigger was corruption in the exam system, but the force behind the protests was economic. For many younger Indians, repeated paper leaks and scarce jobs have undercut the promise that education leads to upward mobility. Modi’s fast-track court order may speed cases through the system, but it does not address the larger loss of faith among students who no longer believe the rules are being applied fairly.