Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday that the central government has decided to establish fast-track courts across the country to ensure swift and stringent punishment for individuals involved in examination paper leaks. The Prime Minister’s statement represents his first direct public intervention regarding the widespread scandal and the ensuing wave of youth-led demonstrations that have expanded from the national capital to major urban centers across India. Addressing the issue on social media platform X, Modi emphasized that the welfare and future of the country's youth remain the top priority of his administration. He stated that he had issued direct instructions to relevant authorities and officials to execute all necessary policy measures to protect the integrity of public examinations and safeguard the interests of students, warning that those attempting to harm the future of young citizens will not be spared.
The Prime Minister’s announcement comes against the backdrop of rapidly escalating nationwide protests driven by public anger over irregularities and leaked question papers in national competitive tests, including the NEET medical entrance examination. Agitation centered in New Delhi intensified significantly earlier in the week when security forces intercepted and blocked a major protest march titled "Sansad Chalo," in which thousands of students and activists attempted to demonstrate outside Parliament. Confrontations between police forces and demonstrators resulted in widespread clashes at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where approximately 118 security personnel and 60 protesters sustained injuries as police deployed tear gas shells and baton charges to disperse the crowd. In response to the unrest and to manage public movement, Delhi Metro authorities ordered the temporary closure of 16 key metro stations across central Delhi, disrupting daily commuter traffic.
The ongoing demonstrations are primarily spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party, a newly formed youth movement that originated as an online satirical initiative before evolving into a major social media and political force. The movement quickly generated a massive digital following exceeding 23 million supporters on Instagram after emerging in direct response to controversial remarks made by Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant. During an open court hearing regarding public examination disputes, Chief Justice Kant drew widespread public criticism after comparing unemployed youth seeking activism to cockroaches attacking the system. Although the Chief Justice later clarified his statements, the comments triggered severe backlash among Gen Z youth and civil society groups, who adopted the satirical identity to mobilize against systemic corruption, competitive exam failures, and high youth unemployment rates.
The agitation has quickly spread beyond the capital city of New Delhi to other major Indian metropolises, including the financial capital Mumbai, Bengaluru, Patna, and Chandigarh, where students, political activists, and trade union representatives have staged solidarity rallies and civil disruptions. Protesters affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party have repeatedly asserted that their demonstrations will persist until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan steps down from his post to take full political responsibility for the systemic failures in exam administration. Meanwhile, public support for the demonstrators at Jantar Mantar has swelled, with supporters and citizens sending extensive supplies of food and refreshments to the protest site to sustain the ongoing sit-in.
Opposition political leaders have joined the criticism, sharpening their attacks on the central government’s handling of the crisis. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi responded directly to the Prime Minister’s public remarks, accusing Modi and his administration of causing the greatest long-term damage to the future of the nation’s youth. Writing on X, Gandhi alleged that the government had enabled and protected individuals responsible for the capture and degradation of India's public education infrastructure. Gandhi’s comments followed his own brief detention by police earlier in the week after he led a high-profile protest rally outside the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi.
While government officials maintain that law enforcement agencies have already made multiple arrests and introduced stricter anti-cheating measures, protest organizers have rejected the proposed fast-track court initiative as insufficient without structural reform and ministerial accountability. As demonstrations show no signs of abating and local authorities maintain heightened security measures in key cities, the government faces sustained pressure to deliver tangible administrative reforms to restore public confidence in the national examination system.
