Cockroach protests continue in India as the Modi government has asked for more time to respond to demands for the education minister’s resignation. Youth leaders said on Friday that officials requested until Saturday afternoon to reply after the latest round of talks.
The meeting took place hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike. Hopes rose that both sides might find a way forward after tens of thousands of young people gathered in Delhi. They want Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down over repeated exam paper leaks.
These protests mark the biggest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he took office in 2014. Opposition parties have supported the demands and disrupted the monsoon session of parliament.
The government team included senior ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. Protesters were represented by Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka of the Cockroach Janta Party. Ranka said they made it clear that nothing less than the minister’s resignation would be accepted. He warned that protests could grow even larger if the demand is ignored.
“The government has asked for time until tomorrow afternoon to respond,” Ranka told reporters. Minister Nadda described the talks as cordial and confirmed the three main demands would be discussed the next day.
Besides the resignation, protesters want police cases against demonstrators dropped and compensation for families of more than a dozen students who reportedly took their own lives after the May exam paper leak.
Authorities in Delhi shut 16 metro stations near the protest site and extended a mobile internet ban until midnight on Friday. The government also defended police surveillance at the camp, saying there is no full right to privacy in public spaces when state interest is involved.
Earlier, Modi proposed special courts to punish those behind exam leaks and promised stricter action at a cabinet meeting. Protesters rejected the idea, saying courts alone cannot fix the larger problem.
The movement continues to press for accountability as national elections remain years away but important state polls approach.
