An Indian student who joined a 23-day hunger strike during recent protests says demonstrators were branded “Pakistani agents” as a tactic to suppress dissent.
New Delhi, India – Web Desk: An Indian student who took part in a 23-day hunger strike during recent nationwide protests has criticised Indian media for describing demonstrators as “Pakistani agents,” calling it a tactic used to suppress dissent.
Neha Bora, one of thousands of students who protested at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, said the same accusation had previously been used against residents of what she referred to as Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). She said people had once stayed silent over violence in Kashmir, and that the same pattern was now being applied closer to the capital, in Connaught Place.
Bora said students demanding their rights were being branded as Pakistani agents, adding that people had since come to recognise that similar earlier accusations against Kashmiris were not true.
Her remarks came after Gen-Z-led protesters called off their weeks-long demonstration, following the resignation of India’s education minister and government assurances that all their demands would be met. According to a spokesperson for the protest coordination body, the demonstrators’ other demands included compensation for students affected by examination irregularities and the withdrawal of legal cases filed against protesters.
In response to the unrest, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a task force, headed by technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani, to overhaul the country’s examination system following days of youth-led protests over alleged exam paper leaks. Modi said the examination system needed to be made more trustworthy and transparent through greater use of technology, and confirmed that new legislation addressing paper leaks would be introduced in parliament.
The protests, which drew large numbers of young people to the streets over the alleged mishandling of standardised exams, marked one of the more significant youth mobilisations in India in recent years, ultimately forcing a cabinet-level resignation and prompting government commitments to reform.
