Anger among India's Generation Z, sparked by allegations that medical school entrance exam papers were leaked, is spreading into nationwide anti-government protests, increasing the political burden on the Narendra Modi administration.
According to major foreign media, on the 20th (local time) India's police used batons and tear gas to forcefully disperse young demonstrators who took to the streets to protest the medical school entrance exam leak scandal. But the protests are hardly subsiding. On the 23rd, thousands of demonstrators also poured into the streets of the capital, New Delhi.
The Associated Press said, "The police's hard-line response only fueled public anger," and noted, "A government Minister tried to meet protest leaders and communicate publicly, but failed to ease tensions." The New York Times (NYT) also reported, "After the police's use of force, the protesters' anger grew even stronger, and the backlash is spreading to target the entire Indian government."
The trigger for the situation is the suspected leak of medical school entrance exam papers. In May, after it emerged that answer sheets for the medical school entrance exam (NEET) had been leaked in advance, Minister of the Ministry of Education Dharmendra Pradhan announced plans to hold a retest.
In India, where youth unemployment is severe, medicine, along with engineering, is considered a leading path to upward mobility. In this context, when even the state-administered entrance exam became mired in allegations of fraud and mismanagement, dissatisfaction among young people exploded. Public opinion worsened further when it became known that on the 15th of last month Supreme Court Justice Riya Kant had said to unemployed youth, "There are young people like cockroaches," and, "Failing to find jobs, they only attack the system."
Ultimately, this anger turned into a political movement. Abhijit Dhipke, a Dalit from India's lowest caste, posted on social media (SNS), "What if all the cockroaches gathered together?" and millions responded. He immediately founded the "Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)" and led the protests.
Analysts say the rapid spread of the protests reflects pent-up economic grievances among India's youth. India's economy has posted solid annual growth of 6% to 7% in recent years, but the job market young people feel remains bleak. According to data from Azim Premji University in India, the unemployment rate among college graduates is nearing 40%.
The anti-government protests are now spreading beyond students to professionals and diverse groups. Supporters across India are ordering food through delivery apps and sending requests to share it with anyone at protest sites, signaling solidarity. As ordinary citizens, rather than existing party organizations, voluntarily communicate and organize through social media, the momentum of the protests is growing even stronger.
The persistent protests are also becoming a significant political burden for Prime Minister Modi, who won a third consecutive term this year. In particular, because young people are India's largest voting bloc, their votes are expected to be a key variable in future elections. According to the NYT, as protests continue in other cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, demands that the Modi administration will find hard to meet quickly are pouring out.
Rahul Verma, a researcher at the think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), based in Delhi, said in an interview with the BBC, "Unlike traditional protests over ideology or policy, these demonstrations question the very governing capacity of Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)."
As signs grew that the protests would drag on, Prime Minister Modi also moved to defuse them. On the 23rd, he said on social media, "We will establish a special court to severely punish those involved in the exam paper leak case," adding, "Those who harm the future of young people will never be forgiven."
The Financial Times (FT) said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has traditionally enjoyed strong support from middle-class families that value educational opportunity," and assessed, "This situation is becoming an unexpected political challenge for Prime Minister Modi."