The talks between two senior government ministers and two CJP leaders in New Delhi on Friday took place hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike overnight. The meeting has raised expectations that both sides may be moving towards a possible resolution in the ongoing crisis, which has seen thousands of young protesters demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations linked to examination paper leaks.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the organisation hoped the government would approach the discussions with an open mind and listen to the concerns of citizens who have been protesting across the country for a prolonged period.
“We hope that the government comes with an open mind and it will listen to the people of this country who have been out on the roads for so long,” Das told reporters in New Delhi late on Thursday night.
He said the group would explain its demands in greater detail during the talks and hoped the government would give serious consideration to their concerns.
A senior government minister said on Thursday that the government had always remained open to discussions, regardless of how long the process required, and would not allow issues of prestige to interfere with dialogue.
The CJP, a political pressure group leading the student protests, has stated that demonstrations will continue peacefully until three key demands are fulfilled. These include the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, an assurance from the Modi government that no criminal cases will be registered against protesters, and compensation of approximately $105,000 for families of students who died by suicide due to examination paper leaks and cancellations.
The protests have emerged as one of the biggest challenges facing Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have supported the CJP’s demands and disrupted the monsoon session of Parliament, which began this week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a social media video late on Thursday that the federal cabinet would meet on Friday to discuss a draft amendment to laws aimed at punishing those responsible for examination paper leaks. The proposed changes would be presented before Parliament for approval as soon as possible.
However, protesters rejected the proposal, arguing that the examination system requires fundamental reforms to prevent leaks rather than only stronger punishment after incidents occur.
Over the past week, anger has spread across New Delhi and other major cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Patna, where thousands of young protesters have demanded that the Education Minister resign.
Protester Vakil Yadav, who participated in demonstrations in New Delhi, said he would continue fighting for change despite suffering fractures to his hand during a police crackdown while protesters were marching towards Parliament.
“There was nobody to stand with the students, speak out for them and raise their issue. Today we have that opportunity. So people from all across India are here,” Yadav told Al Jazeera.
Another protester, Sudesh Singh, told Reuters that the movement would continue until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was removed from office and not assigned any other position.
“We will continue to protest till Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is terminated. He should not be given another position. If we stop here, then we will compromise the future of our children,” Singh said.
The CJP protests initially began as an online satire movement involving only a few hundred young people. However, the movement gained widespread support and attracted millions of online followers after the cancellation of a national medical college entrance examination in May following a question paper leak that affected around two million students.
Authorities have attempted to control the growing protest movement. On Monday, when tens of thousands of supporters marched towards Parliament, police used tear gas and batons to stop them.
Further clashes were reported on Wednesday night when more than 10,000 people gathered at the protest site in central Delhi.
Authorities in New Delhi also shut down 16 metro stations, suspended mobile internet services and restricted business activities in central Delhi, where protesters had been camping. The measures affected thousands of residents and commuters and were viewed as an attempt to limit the spread of demonstrations.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that 17 stations would again remain closed from early Friday morning until further instructions. This marked the third time in the same week that such a large-scale shutdown of the capital’s metro network was implemented.
The ongoing confrontation between the government and the youth-led CJP movement has become a major national issue, with examination integrity, student demands and administrative accountability at the centre of the debate. The latest talks indicate an attempt at dialogue, but protesters have maintained that demonstrations will continue until their concerns are resolved.
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