Guwahati: A large number of people gathered at Chachal in Guwahati on Thursday to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and express solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk and student protesters seeking education reforms.
Organised under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the protest drew more than 10,000 participants from different parts of Assam and Northeast, according to the organisers. Demonstrators raised slogans against the BJP-led Central government and demanded accountability over alleged examination-related irregularities and the police crackdown on protesters in New Delhi.
Holding placards and banners, the protesters said they were standing in solidarity with students who were lathi-charged during the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march towards Parliament. They also called for education reforms and sought Pradhan’s resignation over repeated examination paper leaks.
The demonstration came amid a nationwide movement led by Wangchuk, who has emerged as a prominent face of protests demanding education reforms and the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
Wangchuk was removed by police from the CJP’s protest site at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday and shifted to hospital, where he continues his hunger strike.
The Guwahati protest follows the police crackdown on a march to Parliament earlier this week, during which several protesters were injured. Despite the crackdown, thousands of protesters have continued to assemble at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, with the agitation receiving support from several Opposition parties.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday posted a message on X that was widely seen as addressing concerns over repeated examination paper leaks.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth,” the Prime Minister wrote while announcing the government’s decision to establish fast-track courts for paper leak cases and ensure stringent punishment for those found guilty.