New Delhi —
For days the streets and parks in the center of India’s capital have seethed with the biggest demonstrations it has seen in years as young protesters demand change to a national exam system they say cheats millions of them out of a fair chance.
Earlier this week, as the mostly Gen-Z protesters tried the bring their demands to the parliament building at the heart of the world’s biggest democracy, they were met with tear gas and police violence, struck with the bamboo sticks officers carry in lieu of batons.
The protesters are refusing to back down, setting up a continued confrontation with Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, one critics say has overseen a relentless crushing of dissent during its more than a decade in power.
About 150 protesters were taken to hospital with injuries following Monday’s violence, according to leaders of the party behind the protests. Videos showing the police crackdown – widely shared hours after the event thanks to a government-ordered cutting of the internet – have sparked outrage. Delhi police said 118 of its officers were injured during the “violent protests.”
