Leaders of India's youth-led "cockroach" movement have agreed to meet the government but nationwide protests will continue, as they seek to resolve a crisis over national examination paper leaks, reports infohub.kz.
The decision was announced after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike, raising hopes for a breakthrough. Tens of thousands of angry youth have converged on Delhi demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protests represent the biggest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the movement's demands and disrupted parliament.
Talks between government ministers and leaders of the self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) will be held at a neutral venue, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said. "We hope the government comes with an open mind and listens to the people who have been out on the roads for so long," he said. The nationwide protests will, however, continue.
The Delhi Metro shut 17 stations again on Friday morning, the third time this week it has resorted to such a large-scale closure.
The federal cabinet will meet on Friday to discuss a draft law to punish those behind exam paper leaks. But protesters have rejected the proposal, saying the examination system should be fixed to prevent leaks.
Activist Wangchuk is expected to explain details of his talks with two government ministers through a video message.