‘Here for our children’: parents flock to CJP protest site on last day
Parents and children joined student protesters at Jantar Mantar in India to demand educational reform following a paper leak scandal. The presence of families underscored the movement's focus on the future of the next generation and the perceived government indifference to student grievances.
Why it matters
The involvement of families in student-led protests signals a broader societal concern regarding educational integrity and government accountability.
Amid the sea of students and placards at Jantar Mantar, some of the youngest faces were children barely two years old, perched on their parents’ shoulders or walking while clutching their fingers.
For many parents, joining the protest was both an act of defiance and a demand for a better future for their children.
On Saturday evening, after news broke of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, Salman, 35, arrived at the protest site with his three children, the youngest a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
“We were following the movement but couldn’t come as we have three children. Today, when we heard he had resigned, we rushed here to celebrate,” Mr. Salman said, as a protester distributed “Melody” chocolates to the children.
He added that his eldest son had urged them to attend. “Paper leak nahi hona chahiye,” said Mohammad Saad, 11.
Similar scenes were witnessed on earlier days as well.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in