Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8

Delhi Police Fire Pellet Guns at Youth March, Hospitalizing 150 as Videos Fuel Excessive-Force Claims

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8

Delhi Police Fire Pellet Guns at Youth March, Hospitalizing 150 as Videos Fuel Excessive-Force Claims

Q: What triggered the violent clash that forced India's Education Minister to resign after a Gen Z protest over exam leaks?

The clash was triggered when thousands of students and young protesters, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, tried to march from Jantar Mantar toward India’s Parliament on July 20 to demand accountability over repeated exam paper leaks and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The immediate spark was the government’s refusal to act decisively after major examination scandals, especially the NEET medical entrance exam leak, which affected millions of candidates and forced retests. The leaks, cancelled exams, alleged grading irregularities and technical failures had already fueled weeks of peaceful protest. Anger deepened further over reports linking the scandal to a number of student suicides. Tensions rose sharply because police had denied permission for the “Chalo Sansad” march, sealed routes to Parliament, imposed restrictions in central Delhi and cut mobile internet access in parts of the area. When protesters continued advancing, police moved to stop them with batons, tear gas and, according to multiple accounts, pellet guns, leading to the violent confrontation. The broader pressure that later pushed Pradhan to resign came from the scale of youth outrage over what protesters saw as corruption, mismanagement and lack of accountability in the education system. The forced removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from the protest site shortly before the march also appears to have intensified public anger and swelled turnout.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8

At least 150 student protesters were hospitalized after Delhi Police and paramilitary forces used pellet guns, tear gas and sticks to stop thousands marching toward Parliament on July 20.
Videos verified by The New York Times and witness accounts indicate officers used force against unarmed demonstrators in ways that appeared to exceed U.N. and Indian guidelines requiring minimum, proportionate force.
Delhi Police said the march over India’s troubled education system had no permission and was strictly prohibited, calling force a last resort; they reported 118 personnel injured and 70 people detained.
An internet shutdown initially slowed details of the crackdown, but circulating footage drove public outrage and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s condemnation of the assault on students.