The first day of the monsoon session was rocked by massive protests inside and outside Parliament on Monday, as a phalanx of agitators marched through central Delhi demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and the opposition sought to corner the government over repeated paper leaks and examination irregularities inside the House.
The 23-day hunger strike in Jantar Mantar escalated into one of the largest disruptive protests in recent years, with tens of thousands of people marching to Parliament, braving police batons, tear gas and dozens of barricades that turned central Delhi into a stalemate and sparked riots across the capital.
In his usual address to the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the achievements of India’s youth. “The 28-year-olds have planted the nation’s flag in space. This sends a strong message regarding the potential and aspirations of the youth of our country,” the Prime Minister said, referring to Skyroot Aerospace’s maiden orbital launch of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed launch vehicle.
He added: “I am firmly convinced that where there are facts and logic, there is no room for storm.” “…I am not talking about a 56-year-old here,” he said, in an indirect reference to Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi. Modi also expressed his hope that the Parliament session would be productive “as all points of view will be respected.”
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But once the two chambers were in session, the opposition sought to turn the tables on the government due to newspaper leaks and student protests. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, accused the government of suppressing the protests at Jantar Mantar.
“I am talking about the future of thousands of students. That is why today thousands of children came to Jantar Mantar. The lathi charge happened there. The government is trying to harm them, the government is trying to suppress them,” Karg said.
On X, Kharge claimed that the government was suppressing the voice of the youth. “There have been 90 paper leaks, the future of millions of students has been ruined, 20 children have committed suicide due to NEET paper leak, families have been devastated…but Modi government’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, is clinging to his seat,” he wrote.
In the end, the Lok Sabha was adjourned seven times and the Rajya Sabha six times. Amid this noise, only a bill could be introduced to increase the number of Supreme Court judges in the Lok Sabha.
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Meanwhile, at around 1.30pm, a group of protesters brought down barricades to advance deeper into Lutyens Delhi and marched to Parliament, just over a kilometer from Jantar Mantar. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) locked the gates of the complex – for the first time since the 2001 Parliament attack – and commandos took up positions with automatic weapons, sparking controversy.
Delhi Police said the planned but unauthorized march to Parliament was handled “professionally”, but images showed several young, unarmed protesters being beaten by security personnel in full riot gear.
The Janata Party emerged from a controversial statement made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant earlier this year, and initially garnered millions of followers on social media before launching a sit-in protest on June 6 to demand Pradhan’s resignation over repeated leaks of question papers. After days of listless crowds, the movement was galvanized by a hunger strike and the forced deportation of activist Sonam Wangchuk last week.
The crowds swelled over the weekend, and by Monday morning, queues of people – many of them students, first-time agitators and young professionals – braved persistent monsoon rains and heavy police barriers to join the first public protest of Modi’s third term.
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Officials admitted that they underestimated the strength of the gathering and estimated it at about 35,000 people, but demonstrators and eyewitnesses said the number was at least twice that. Nearly 2,000 police personnel and 20 companies of paramilitary forces were deployed.
Throughout the day, the echoes of tear gas shells fired at protesters echoed in central Delhi; Police said the instigators turned violent and threw stones. Delhi Police said 118 personnel, including senior officers, were injured. The exact number of injured demonstrators was not immediately known. However, reports said the injured could be in the hundreds – with officials at one government hospital confirming that “at least 100” protesters were being treated for injuries. Police estimated the number of injured protesters at 60.
A police statement said: “The demonstrators displayed unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour. Despite repeated warnings and legal directives issued by the police, they refused to disperse and deliberately violated applicable prohibition orders. The demonstrators attacked police personnel with stones and other objects, attempted to break through police barricades, vandalized police vehicles and other government vehicles, damaged public property, and resorted to violence on a large scale.”
She added that between 15 to 20 government vehicles and property were vandalized and about 70 demonstrators were arrested.
In the afternoon, Union Minister JP Nadda met two RJD representatives, who submitted a written memorandum demanding Pradhan’s resignation, among other things.
Nadda wrote on the
CJP spokesperson Sourav Das, who was one of the two people who met the minister, said Nadda assured them that he would discuss the demands internally. “However, no commitments have been made yet. Peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met!” He posted on X.
Leaders in the Union government claimed that the furor was politically motivated. “The protests are over… Genuine students have returned to studies. New exams (NEET) have already been conducted and students are in the process of securing admissions. Those who are continuing the protests are political (people) who want power,” said a senior BJP leader, who requested anonymity. He reiterated that “no guarantees have been given to the RJD to meet their demands.”
But the opposition overthrew the government.
“This country has a youth majority, and Prime Minister Modi is the most anti-youth prime minister India has ever had. The boys and girls walking the streets of Delhi are not criminals. They are demanding their rights. Their rights are to have an education system that respects them, to have a fair education system, to have a successful education system. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what they are doing, and what the government is doing and what the police are doing is disgusting.” Gandhi Sabha said in a message after the adjournment of the Parliament session.
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav walked from Parliament to Jantar Mantar. “The situation across the country is that young people want to express their concerns, and yet the government refuses to listen or engage in dialogue,” she told reporters. “The students have mentioned this time and time again, and Sonam Wangchuk also urged the government to open a dialogue. However, “The government is so rigid and cruel that it refuses to respond to anyone else’s opinions.”
