Indian prime minister says paper leak culprits punished as protests continue

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that those responsible for paper leaks that sparked mass protests have been punished.

The statement came after a meeting of lawmakers from the ruling National Democratic Alliance, as protests rocked the capital New Delhi.

Police on Monday blocked a protest march to parliament.

The march was called by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, a popular online movement that emerged in response to controversial comments made by Chief Justice Surya Kant, who likened unemployed youth to cockroaches.

A re-examination for an undergraduate medical program was recently held following a paper leak.

“The Prime Minister said that the government acted immediately after reports of the paper leak surfaced, and 13 people were arrested and sent to jail,” Federal Minister Kiren Rijiju quoted Modi as saying.

Modi said strict steps “have been taken to prevent such paper leaks in the future.”

In Monday’s clashes, about 118 security personnel and 60 protesters were injured.

The protest continued Tuesday at Jantar Mantar, a locality that has become a hub for such demonstrations, with party leaders saying the protests will continue until the education minister resigns.

Taking aim at the government, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on the US-based social media platform X: “The opposition will not let this be buried. We will ensure that the students’ voice will be heard on the streets and in Parliament.”