Thousands have converged on India’s top legislature, demanding the resignation of the education minister
Thousands of protestors, mostly young people, marched to India’s parliament on Monday, calling for the resignation of the federal education minister over alleged leaks of the questions for the national university entrance test.
Clashes broke out with police in riot gear, who were out in force after the students were refused permission to hold the march. Television channels and social media showed visuals of police beating the protesters and firing tear gas shells into the crowd.
The demonstrators were not allowed to reach the parliament building, and both houses of India’s top lawmaking body were adjourned for the day. The monsoon session began Monday.
❗️Police Disperse & Push Back Activists As Tear Gas Thrown Back & Forth
RT India correspondent @vnayak1710 reports from Raisina Road in Delhi, where heavy deployments of security officials have pushed the people on the streets back. https://t.co/Z60sk6Dc1e pic.twitter.com/AwBXufster
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) July 20, 2026
Thousands of students had congregated on the roads around Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, drone videos showed. The protests are being spearheaded by India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party movement. Its leader Abhijit Dipke is on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.
❗Thousands March To Parliament Over Education Demands
Drone visuals showed a sea of students and young protesters assembled at Delhi's Jantar Mantar before marching towards Parliament.
📹 CJP pic.twitter.com/mqlhL4P2U3
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) July 20, 2026
Two representatives of the protesters later held talks with the federal health minister, who urged them to disperse to assist law enforcement agencies.
One of them later wrote on X that they had demanded the immediate resignation of India’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
🚨#ImportantAnnouncement: @AshutoshRanka and I have been at J.P. Nadda’s residence since 12 noon. The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan.
The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no… pic.twitter.com/vzLluczbkV
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 20, 2026
“This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50 AM,” Health Minister J. P. Nadda posted on the platform.
READ MORE: ‘This is about the dignity of youth’: India’s ‘cockroach’ movement pushes beyond satire
Nadda said the agitators later submitted a written petition listing their demands.
“I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy,” he said.
But clashes with police continued and thousands of protesters were still in the Jantar Mantar area by evening.
July 20, 2026 at 06:19PM
RT