India's 'cockroach' protesters and government to hold talks as stalemate continues
Getty ImagesRepresentatives of India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) will hold talks with the government on Friday as thousands of people continue to protest day and night demanding the education minister's resignation.
The meeting follows an eventful night where activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his hunger strike after 26 days of fasting in solidarity with the protests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted a video promising a tough new law on examination paper leaks, the issue at the core of the protests.
However, CJP spokespersons have said they will continue protesting until minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
The protests - which have seen tens of thousands of young people participate across the country - have become a major headache for Modi's government, which had tried to ignore them in the first few weeks.
That changed last Saturday, when authorities forcibly removed Wangchuk from the protest site and admitted him to hospital, citing health concerns.
Two days later, police in Delhi cracked down on protesters attempting to march to parliament, leaving scores injured and sparking massive public anger.
Last night, Modi posted a video message - shot vertically, seen as an attempt to reach the young protesters who are active on Instagram - saying that a tough new law on examination paper leaks was being prepared.
He said he had received a draft of the law, which would be discussed by the cabinet on Friday before being finalised and introduced in parliament.
Exam paper leaks are at the centre of the controversy - India has witnessed dozens of them over the past couple of decades. The latest trigger was the leak of the question paper for the medical entrance exam, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
Nearly 2.28 million candidates sat the exam on 3 May. It was cancelled days later, and a re-test was held. More than 20 students have reportedly died by suicide since the cancellation, with some of their family members also joining the protest.
Sonam Wangchuk / XWhile Modi did not address the protests directly, he said he was "well aware that the issue of paper leaks is not a small matter".
"It causes immense distress to [hundreds of thousands] of students and their parents," he said, reiterating his earlier promise to strengthen the legal framework to punish culprits.
But the CJP's response suggested they would not back down on the demand for Pradhan's resignation.
"The fact that Modi had to make a selfie [video] at midnight shows the pressure he's under. He has promised to take action - the best he can do is sack his education minister," CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka told the BBC from the protest site.
Wangchuk said that he was ending his hunger strike after the government assured him no legal action would be taken against protesters at Jantar Mantar, the main protest site in Delhi, and those who marched to parliament.
He said he had also received assurances that the alleged NEET paper leak, accountability in the examination system and wider examination reforms would be discussed in parliament.
But he said he had received no specific promise on Pradhan's resignation.
After he ended his fast, Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of CJP, posted: "We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days. Thank you, sir, for your extraordinary courage and sacrifice. By putting your own life on the line, you awakened the conscience of an entire nation. Your life is far too precious to this country."
By Friday morning, the atmosphere at Jantar Mantar was loud and enthusiastic.
Hundreds of young protesters had spent the night sleeping on roads and pavements, chanting slogans demanding Pradhan's resignation and urging Modi to sack him.
Pradhan has not commented on the demand but earlier criticised the opposition Congress party for "shamelessly [exploiting] students as political tools to manufacture disruption".
Many protesters said they were relieved Wangchuk had ended his fast.
"He [Wangchuk] was fasting for a long time, could have lost his life and we didn't want that. He's done a lot for the nation, for the youth. We are happy he's broken his fast. We pray for his health," said Fabiha Sayyed, a 23-year-old corporate worker who is at the protest site.
Security has been tightened in the area, with a heavy police presence, mobile internet suspended in several areas and 17 metro stations closed.
The crowd underscored CJP's rise into one of India's most visible youth movements and one of the biggest public displays of dissent against the Modi government since it took office in 2014.
The CJP emerged in May as an online satirical movement, calling themselves cockroaches after India's top judge used the word for unemployed young people.
It later began protesting against paper leaks and other irregularities in India's top exams and has gained a massive following on social media. The protesters have been demonstrating for more than a month now.