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Indian police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters in New Delhi on Monday as they tried to march on parliament to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The students are protesting over irregularities such as question paper leaks and technical glitches in major examinations.
Thousands of protesters started gathering from early Monday, defying a steady monsoon drizzle and police barricades, marking one of the biggest demonstrations in the capital for five years.
Around 2.2 million aspiring medical students retook their exam under tight security last month, after the original test was cancelled due to a leaked question paper that sparked widespread outrage.
This followed a separate scandal involving the online marking system for exams taken by nearly two million high school students.
Monday’s protest comes after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to hospital Saturday.
He was on a 20-day hunger strike in support of youths and the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement.
"Our country deserves a government that is bothered about what the young people have to say and is willing to correct its mistakes," said Sumit Kumar to AFP, 18.
He added, "The future belongs to us and not these politicians."
The Internet was cut in parts of central New Delhi on Monday, with police saying they had not given their permission for the protest.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world's most populous nation still struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
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