For weeks, thousands of students and youth have been protesting for their right to education, fair examinations and secure employment. Instead of addressing their demands, the authorities responded with tear gas, lathi charges, arrests and internet shutdowns. This attack on the youth is an attack on the democratic rights of all the people.
Statement of Lok Raj Sangathan, 23 July, 2026
The past several weeks have witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of anger by youth and students from across the country. What began as protests against repeated examination paper leaks and irregularities in the education system has grown into a broad movement demanding accountability, justice and sweeping reforms in education and recruitment.
Students and young job aspirants have travelled from every corner of the country to gather at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Many have remained there continuously for weeks. Some have undertaken indefinite hunger strikes, determined to draw attention to the crisis confronting India’s youth.
The protests have highlighted problems that millions of young people face every day. Repeated examination paper leaks, delays and irregularities in recruitment, soaring educational costs, shrinking public investment in education, growing dependence on expensive coaching centres and the continuing shortage of secure employment have created widespread frustration. For countless students, years of hard work and sacrifice have been rendered meaningless by corruption and administrative failures.
Instead of addressing these legitimate grievances, the authorities have responded with repression. On 18 July, police moved in to forcibly remove Sonam Wangchuk from the protest site while he was on hunger strike. Reports and videos showed protesters being manhandled as the authorities attempted to dismantle the protest.
The confrontation escalated dramatically on 20 July, when tens of thousands of youth and students assembled to march towards Parliament in support of their demands. Central Delhi was heavily barricaded, metro stations were closed, and large numbers of security personnel were deployed. As protesters attempted to continue their march, police resorted to repeated lathi charges, fired tear gas and carried out mass detentions. Hundreds of protesters were reportedly injured and many more were taken into custody. Human rights organisations have expressed serious concern over the excessive use of force against what they described as largely peaceful demonstrators.
The crackdown was accompanied by the suspension of mobile internet services in central Delhi. The attempt to silence the protests by cutting off communication, alongside the use of lathis, tear gas and mass arrests, exposed the determination of the authorities to suppress the democratic voice of the youth rather than address their legitimate demands.
These events have shocked people across the country. The youth are demanding nothing more than an education system free from corruption, fair opportunities for employment and accountability from those responsible for repeated scandals. These are democratic demands that deserve to be heard. Responding to them with batons, tear gas and arrests is a grave attack on democratic rights.
The assault on the students also exposes the growing intolerance of those in power towards peaceful dissent. Instead of engaging in dialogue with the protesters, the authorities have chosen coercion. Such actions only deepen the alienation and anger of an entire generation that already faces rising unemployment, mounting educational costs and an increasingly uncertain future.
The struggle of the students is not merely about examination reforms. It reflects the aspirations of millions of young people who seek a society in which education is treated as a right rather than a privilege, employment is guaranteed with dignity, and public institutions function honestly and transparently. Their concerns resonate with workers, peasants, teachers, parents and all those who are committed to social justice.
Lok Raj Sangathan strongly condemns the brutal assault on the students and youth protesting at Jantar Mantar. We demand an immediate end to the repression, the release of all those detained, and an impartial inquiry into the police violence. The legitimate demands of the students must be addressed through dialogue and concrete reforms, not through intimidation and force.
The determination displayed by the youth in recent weeks has inspired millions. Their struggle deserves the wholehearted support of all democratic and progressive people.
Source of image: https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/students-travel-from-across-india-to-join-cjp-protest-in-delhi-over-neet-controversy
