‘Won’t back down’: Indian student protesters return after police crackdown - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera English reported that student-led protests resumed in New Delhi after police used tear gas and force against thousands of demonstrators who marched towards India’s parliament on Monday, July 20, 2026. The outlet said more than 100 students were injured during the crackdown, which left visible damage and debris around Parliament Street, Connaught Place and the Jantar Mantar protest area.

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged leaks and grading failures in major entrance examinations affecting millions of students. The protest was called by the Cockroach Janta Party, a political pressure group, and has drawn support from student unions and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on hunger strike before being removed from the protest site and taken to a government-run hospital. His family and the CJP have described his confinement as illegal detention, while Al Jazeera reported that the Delhi High Court declined immediate relief.

CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke told supporters after the crackdown that the movement would continue until Pradhan steps down. Al Jazeera also reported that CJP representatives met Health Minister JP Nadda before the march to present demands including Pradhan’s resignation, Wangchuk’s release from hospital and compensation for families of students who died by suicide. Nadda described the meeting as cordial and urged protesters to end their sit-in.

Delhi police have filed at least five criminal cases linked to alleged violence, stone-throwing and vandalism during the march. The protests matter because they have widened from an education accountability campaign into a broader challenge over youth anger, policing and the Modi government’s response to dissent.