Abhijit Deepak, chief of India’s Cockroach Janata Party, has criticised the government, saying it took Prime Minister Narendra Modi 34 days to acknowledge the paper leak. The CJP chief called that long silence “shameful.” He also said that, despite widespread protests and demands for resignation, the government was still protecting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Modi had earlier announced the formation of “fast-track courts” to quickly punish those involved in the paper leak. But the Cockroach Janata Party, the student protest organisation that has shaken Delhi, rejected the government’s proposal outright.
On social media Modi said: “Nothing can be more important than protecting the future of the young. Those who destroy students’ futures will not be spared.”
CJP spokesperson Sourav Das compared the move to a mere “Band-Aid,” saying: “There is a history of zero punishment or impunity in paper-leak cases in past years. So assurances alone will not work.” The protesters have made clear they will not leave the streets until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns and the education system is fundamentally changed.
The opposition brought the Indian parliament to a standstill in solidarity with the protesters. After about 50,000 people demonstrated in Delhi, police used tear gas and baton charges, but thousands of young people held their ground at Jantar Mantar in intense heat and humidity. The movement has also spread to cities including Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report