Timeline-India's youth protests force exam reforms after education minister quits

NEW DELHI, July 27 - India's federal government on Monday introduced a bill in parliament to amend the law governing public examinations, days after protests by the "cockroach" movement forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.Here is a look at how the movement grew into the biggest youth-led challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced since taking office in 2014.May 3About 2 million students took the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical school.May 12The federal National Testing Agency scrapped the examination after allegations of leaks of test paper questions.A re-test was held on June 21.June 6Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement founder Abhijeet Dipke led a street protest in New Delhi demanding Pradhan's resignation.He later held protests in other parts of the country.June 20The CJP movement began a sit-in protest at the capital's Jantar Mantar observatory – the designated site for protests in Delhi – to demand Pradhan's resignation.June 28Activist Sonam Wangchuk launched a hunger strike at the site to support the movement.July 18Authorities moved Wangchuk to hospital forcibly after his condition worsened.July 19Crowds at the protest site swelled, galvanised by Wangchuk's forced removal.July 20Tens of thousands of protesters were met with tear gas and baton charges while attempting to march on parliament and some of them clashed with police.CJP leaders held talks with ministers from Modi's government, who sought time to discuss their demands internally.July 21Modi appealed to lawmakers of his ruling alliance to unite to ensure strict steps over exam leaks, punishment for the guilty, and a foolproof system.Opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi staged a sit-in outside the gates of Modi's residence seeking Pradhan's resignation. They were briefly detained by police and let off.July 22Opposition lawmakers disrupted parliament in support of student protesters, as demonstrations spread to other parts of the country, including financial capital Mumbai.July 23Modi, in a post on X that constituted his first direct comments on the protests, announced special courts to prosecute those involved in exam paper leaks. But the protesters rejected the proposal.July 24Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike and movement leaders held a second round of talks with the government, which sought time until the next afternoon to respond on their demand for Pradhan's resignation.July 25Pradhan resigned, citing the situation at the protest site and across the country and to prevent "anti-national forces" from taking advantage of the situation.July 26Modi announced a task force, headed by tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani, to overhaul the country's exam system.July 27The government introduced a bill in parliament proposing changes to the law governing public examinations, including tougher penalties such as longer prison terms and higher fines for culprits. REUTERS