Beloved educator's detention fuels India's biggest protests in years

+ World Beloved educator's detention fuels India's biggest protests in years July 23, 20264:45 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Omkar Khandekar Beloved educator's detention fuels India's biggest protests in years Listen &middot; 3:48 3:48 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5901932/nx-s1-9859727" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript In India, the detention of a beloved educator on hunger strike has turned into its largest anti-government protests in years. Sponsor Message Transcript MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: In India, thousands of young people are protesting against the government, even after a violent police response. As NPR's Omkar Khandekar reports, the movement was propelled by one man's hunger strike.

+ OMKAR KHANDEKAR, BYLINE: Fifty-nine-year-old Sonam Wangchuk wears many hats. He's an environmentalist who innovated ice stupas, a technique of building artificial glaciers for irrigation in the Himalayas. He's an education activist who worked to bring back Indigenous knowledge to classrooms. But the first time most people in India heard of him was after the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots." (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BEHTI HAWA SA THA WOH") SHAAN AND SHANTANU MOITRA: (Singing) Behti hawa sa tha woh. KHANDEKAR: The film is about three friends in a top Indian university reeling under academic pressure. Its lead character, played by Indian star Aamir Khan, is widely seen to be inspired by Sonam Wangchuk. When the film was released in 2009, many identified with Khan's character, speaking of India's broken education system. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "3 IDIOTS") AAMIR KHAN: (As Rancho, speaking in non-English language). KHANDEKAR: He says education in India has been reduced to getting good grades, then finding a job in the U.S. The rat race, he adds, is literally killing students. India's official database says student suicides are increasing faster than those of the overall population. And in May this year, what for many was the final straw - questions for a nationwide university entrance exam leaked, and the government announced that two million candidates would have to retake the tests. Hundreds from the youth group Cockroach Janta Party protested in the Indian capital. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: (Non-English language spoken). UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #1: (Chanting in non-English language). UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #1: (Non-English language spoken). KHANDEKAR: In late May, Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest and said he would fast until the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, resigns. On social media, millions watched as Wangchuk said he lost 19 pounds in 19 days. Then last weekend... (CROSSTALK) KHANDEKAR: ...Indian policemen stormed the protest site and dragged Wangchuk into an ambulance. For many students, like Kajal Singh, that was the turning point. KAJAL SINGH: (Non-English language spoken). KHANDEKAR: She says Wangchuk is a role model for many. The government first ignored him, then detained him. So on Monday morning, she slipped out of her house and joined thousands as they marched to the Parliament. That day, India's capital turned into a battleground. (SOUNDBITE OF POLICE WHISTLE BLOWING) KHANDEKAR: What you can hear in the background are tear gas shells that are being lobbed by protesters. The protesters have also retaliated by throwing stones at the police. The organizers were insisting that this should stay peaceful, but things seem to have spiraled out of control right now. (SOUNDBITE OF POLICE WHISTLE BLOWING) KHANDEKAR: After weeks of silence, India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, said on X that his government would punish all those involved in the exam paper leaks. But he said nothing about the education minister's resignation. Political analyst Sushant Singh says this is in line with Modi's authoritarian style. SUSHANT SINGH: It's a government which believes has the mandate and the will of the people, and anybody who presents or opposes them is somehow doing it out of bad faith. KHANDEKAR: But now thousands more are marching across Indian cities. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER #2: (Non-English language spoken). UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS #2: (Chanting in non-English language). KHANDEKAR: Protesters say they won't stop because democracy, they say, means accountability. Omkar Khandekar, NPR News, New Delhi. (SOUNDBITE OF BLACK MARKET KARMA'S "DELTA HAND") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. 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