India cuts mobile internet in central Delhi as youth protests over exam leaks continue

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities ordered telecom operators to suspend mobile data services in parts of central Delhi around the site of youth-led protests demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, according to two sources cited by Reuters on Thursday.

The sources said telecom companies had implemented the order. Reuters reported that government and telecom department spokespersons did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while major operators Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone-Idea also did not immediately comment.

Reuters journalists said mobile data was unavailable in several areas of central Delhi on Thursday evening. Shopkeepers, vendors and restaurants in the area said the disruption prevented them from accepting digital payments.

Protest movement rejects government response

Earlier in the day, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said it was not satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the examination paper leak controversy and would continue its sit-in until Pradhan stepped down.

In a statement, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said it was encouraging that the prime minister had finally taken notice after nearly six weeks of demonstrations. Press Trust of India quoted him as saying "Perhaps his foreign visits are over, and he has returned to India, which is a good thing".

Ranka repeated the group’s demand for the education minister’s resignation and said the protest would not end before that.

"We will not leave this place until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns", he added.

He also questioned the value of penalties imposed after papers had already been leaked. "What punishment are you imposing after the paper leak has already taken place? That is not going to solve the problem of paper leaks. The real question is why paper leaks are happening in the first place. That question must be answered."

Modi had earlier said in a social media post "Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth".

He also promised fast-track courts to punish those involved in question paper leaks.

Opposition joins criticism

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded by citing Modi’s post and said the prime minister himself had done the greatest damage to young people’s future. Gandhi said Modi had allowed the education system to be taken over and destroyed and had shielded those responsible. He also renewed calls for Pradhan to be removed, for Modi to apologise to students and for action against those who assaulted protesters.

Movement has widened beyond exam leaks

Protesters linked to the cockroach movement have been camped in central Delhi since last month, calling for the education minister’s resignation over exam paper leaks in May that affected about 2 million students.

The demonstrations intensified on Monday when police used tear gas and baton charges against tens of thousands of marchers trying to reach parliament on the opening day of the monsoon session. Protesters then threw stones, in what Reuters described as the largest street mobilisation in the Indian capital in around five years.

Police said at least 178 people, including security personnel, were hurt in the violence.

The CJP, which says it has millions of followers on social media, began in May as a satirical reaction after Chief Justice Surya Kant was reported to have compared young people to cockroaches and parasites during a court hearing. Since then, the campaign has expanded to include unemployment, opportunities for youth and what it calls Modi’s increasingly authoritarian style of governance.

Reuters reported that the protests have become one of the most serious challenges to Modi since he won a third term in 2024. The unrest has been fuelled by a series of testing controversies, including the leak of a medical entrance exam paper that forced more than 2 million candidates to retake the test, as well as a separate dispute over the online marking of exams taken by nearly 2 million high school students.