Thousands march in Delhi as India youth protest exam leaks and reforms

Thousands of mostly young protesters tried to reach India's parliament in New Delhi as police blocked the route with tear gas and baton charges. The march centered on demands for education reform and action over alleged exam leaks, especially irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance test.

The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, began only months ago as a satirical online group. Its supporters, joined by students, parents, activists and political leaders, pushed toward parliament despite a police ban on the route.

More than 10,000 protesters braved the security cordon. The anger goes beyond one exam: leaks and alleged paper irregularities strike at the credibility of the merit system that decides access to medical seats and, ultimately, the credentials tied to scarce jobs and social mobility.

The protest pressure also reached Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whom demonstrators blamed for the examination crisis and the official response. Earlier rallies had already been held outside the education ministry and at Jantar Mantar, while the Congress party and its youth wing, the Indian Youth Congress, staged their own protests over the same allegations and called for Pradhan's removal.

The movement sharpened further after Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a prolonged hunger strike in solidarity with the protesters, was forcibly taken to hospital. After clashes in Delhi, the CJP said it would not march again because police would "hurt youth."