Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Activist Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike after 26 days
- Indian government to hold talks with Cockroach party leaders at 12:30 p.m. IST (0700 GMT)
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeals to protesting students in midnight video
- Security tightens in central Delhi, metro stations and internet shut again
Here’s a roundup for the biggest headlines from India on Friday, July 24:
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Skip next section Delhi authorities tighten security ahead of talks07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Delhi authorities tighten security ahead of talks
Even as the Indian government and protest organizers are scheduled to meet for dialogue, authorities are tightening security in central Delhi which is home to both the Indian parliament, and the youth protest site.
The New Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced that 17 metro station around the are would be closed on Friday morning until further notice. Not just students and protesters, but also office goers rely on the speedy Delhi metro for their daily commute.
The thousands who have reached the protest site are being heavily monitored.
News outlet Indian Express reported that Delhi police were using two highly-equipped surveillance vans to keep a 360-degree eye on the protest site and protesters. As per the report, a senior Delhi police officer said they were using live facial recognition to identify any known criminals.
Fearing unwarranted action, several protesters have been covering their faces with regular and sometimes superhero masks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HfmzSkip next section Parliament disrupted over education minister’s resignation07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Parliament disrupted over education minister’s resignation
The protests are not limited to the streets: inside the Indian parliament, opposition parties continue to protest against the NEET paper leak issue for the fifth day.
Both the upper and lower houses of parliament have been adjourned till noon over the disruption.
Yesterday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) leaders said they were willing to discuss the issue in parliament. However, opposition leaders demand that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan be sacked before any discussion takes place.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his weeks-long hunger strike on the assurance that the government would discuss the paper leaks issue on the parliament floor.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HfnUSkip next section What are the Cockroach movement’s core demands?07/24/2026July 24, 2026
What are the Cockroach movement’s core demands?
Here are some of the main demands made by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP):
- Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
- Compensation of 1 crore rupees (nearly €91,000 or $104,000) or families of students who committed suicide over the NEET-UG exam paper leaks
- Withdrawal of all legal action against peaceful protesters
While the Cockroack Janta Party has also spoken of demands around educational reforms and how paper leaks are handles, the above three are their core demands which are sure to be presented to India’s union ministers.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HfkmSkip next section Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike after government’s assurances07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Sonam Wangchuk ends hunger strike after government’s assurances
Sonam Wangchuk has ended his hunger strike after 26 days, the Indian activist said Thursday on his X account.
The 59-year-old had been on a hunger strike since June 28 in solidarity with India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement.
“Just now in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Dr. Jitendra Singh and the senior leaders of Apex Body of Leh Ladakh I finally broke my fast after 26 days,” Wangchuk wrote.
In another post from the Hospital on Friday morning, Wangchuk wrote that he ended his fast after “getting assurance from the government and members of parliament of all political parties that the issue of accountability in the failing examination system will be discussed on the floors of the Indian Parliament.”
He was told that families of students who committed suicide after the national medical entrance exam paper was leaked will be given adequate compensation.
He was also assured that “there will be no cases registered against the peacefully protesting students and youths,” Wangchuk worte.
Read the full story here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HfizSkip next section Indian ministers to meet Cockroack movement leaders at 12:30 p.m.07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Indian ministers to meet Cockroack movement leaders at 12:30 p.m.
India’s youth-led Cockraoch Janta Party(CJP) leaders will meet with a few ministers from the Indian government on Friday in an attempt to resolve the political face-off on the streets of the nation over national examinations paper leaks.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and two of his appointed spokespersons are likely to attend this meeting scheduled at the Constitution Club for 12:30 p.m. IST (0700 GMT).
The club is about 2.4 kilometers (1.4 miles) from the historical protest site of Jantar Mantar where hundreds of students and CJP supporters have been demontrating for more than a month now.
India’s Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda had earlier offered to hold talks with the CJP at his residence or office. But CJP leaders refused, demanding they meet on neutral grounds. The decision to meet at the Constitution Club came in the hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike.
The meeting raises hopes that the canyon between the government and angry youth could be closing in after days of unrest.
“We hope that the government comes with an open mind and it will listen to the people of this country who have been out on
the roads for so long,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said. “We will explain our demands to them in greater detail. And we hope that the government will listen to us,” he told reporters overnight.
The CJP had earlier called a “nationwide” protest on July 24, Friday, asking students and supporters across the country to take to the streets.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HfgMSkip next section Welcome to our coverage07/24/2026July 24, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Hello! and welcome to DW’s India blog.
This is Mahima Kapoor reporting from the New Delhi bureau and I will be your guide through the massive students protests across the country, the latest updates and other important headlines.
Delhi woke up to rain and gusty winds, with a forecast of thunderstorms. But the political climate in the capital is still stormier as protesters and opposition pressure keeps the government on the defensive.
Two things happened around midnight. First, activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike from a hospital after receiving assurance that the the recurring problem of exam paper leaks would be discussed in parliament.
Second, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released one of his lesser-produced videos — in true Gen Z style — appealing to masses that his government was taking several steps to address in the “painful” paper leak issue.
As for today, ministers from Modi’s cabinet have agreed to meet Cockroach Janta Party leaders at a neutral ground close to the protest site to discuss their demands and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Meanwhile, protesters across India continue demonstrating against the government and demanding accountability over what they call a failed education system. In Delhi, security has tightened considerably and protesters on ground fear another crackdown.
Tune in for all of this and more.
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