Indian diaspora protests across UK over crackdown on Delhi protesters, seeks Pradhan's resignation

Hundreds of members of the Indian diaspora gathered outside the Indian High Commission in central London on Monday evening in solidarity with students in India protesting alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the police crackdown on demonstrators in New Delhi.

Similar demonstrations were held in Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, with protesters calling for greater accountability in India's education system and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the controversy.

The protest in London was jointly organised by the South Asia Solidarity Group, Students' Federation of India (SFI)-UK and the India Workers' Association (GB) under the slogan, "Cockroaches of London Unite, Rise in Protest".

Addressing the gathering, SFI-UK secretary Somiha Chatterjee expressed solidarity with students in India who are on a hunger strike and condemned what she described as sustained police brutality against protesters.

Among those present was Ishita, a UNICEF employee based in London, who said she had joined the demonstration in support of friends participating in the protests in Delhi.

"I have friends who are students, and I'm a recent graduate myself. This idea that if you're not a student you should stay out of it is a very stupid argument to me," she said.

She added that protesting in London gave her a sense of safety that many demonstrators in India did not have.

"I'm very safe here. I'm doing this in London, where I know I can reach back home safely, have a good night's sleep, and come back again if I want to. But my friends in India have put everything at risk to do this," she said.

According to Ishita, the overseas demonstrations were also intended to reassure protesters in India that they had support beyond the country's borders.

Another participant, a 23-year-old student from New Delhi who requested anonymity, said he had earlier participated in the anti-CAA-NRC protests before moving to the United Kingdom.

He said the current mobilisation was linked to wider struggles for justice in India, including the displacement of Adivasi communities due to river-linking projects, the acquisition of land from Dalit farmers for a Google data centre, and the demolition of Muslim homes.

He added that living abroad had not reduced his sense of responsibility towards developments in India.

Protesters gathered outside India House demanding Pradhan's resignation over the NEET controversy. They also expressed solidarity with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others on a hunger strike seeking justice and structural reforms in the education system.

The demonstration featured slogans such as "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Pradhan Istifa Do", with participants calling on the Indian government to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness in the conduct of public examinations.

The organisers announced that another demonstration is scheduled to be held in Leeds on 26 July.