At least 178 people were injured in clashes during protests in New Delhi as India's "Cockroach" party movement on Tuesday vowed to continue demonstrations until education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
Hundreds of protesters remained at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Tuesday, with many demanding changes to the country's education system.
The protests follow a large demonstration in the centre of the Indian capital on Monday, where thousands gathered to demand Pradhan's resignation. The show of strength was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) online movement.
The CJP has gained millions of followers on social media since it was launched in May, becoming one of the biggest challenges to Hindu-nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi since he secured a third term in office in 2024.
"We won't stop. Pradhan has to be sacked," CJP spokesman Ashutosh Ranka said in a social media post.
There were fewer protesters on Tuesday than on Monday, when the CJP mobilised large crowds to march towards India's parliament.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke urged protesters not to lose hope.
"They want to break our spirit," he said, perched on top of a lorry. "Do not let them silence you."
Police fired tear gas and used batons on Monday to stop protesters from marching towards parliament, marking the biggest street rally in Delhi in about five years.
'Shameful day'
Delhi Police said in a statement late on Monday that at least 178 people were injured in clashes between protesters and security officials.
The police said the injured included 118 personnel, among them senior officers, while criticising what it described as "unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour" by a "violent mob".
"During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to get injured," it added.
Protest organisers condemned what they described as the authorities' "high-handedness" and said hundreds of protesters had been injured.
"It's a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy that people, honest students, who had come for a genuine issue were brutally beaten by the Delhi police," Ranka told AFP.
Ranka, who met senior minister JP Nadda on Monday, said the government had yet to respond to their demands.
Protesters said they would continue their campaign.
"We have become even more fearless now," said Chandra Pratap Sishwi, 25, who is studying to be a lawyer.
"When I saw people being beaten up by the police like that, my blood boiled."
Opposition parties on Tuesday demanded a discussion in parliament on the alleged "brutality unleashed on students".
"Students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their own future," said Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party.
"If parliament cannot discuss the future of India's youth, what is it for?"
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world's most populous nation continue to struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
The protests follow a series of examination scandals that have shaken confidence in the country's testing system.
Some 2.2 million aspiring medical students sat for a re-examination under tight security last month after the previous test was scrapped following the leak of a question paper.
That came on top of another scandal related to the online marking system of tests taken by nearly two million high school students.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju defended the government, saying it had acted swiftly after the paper leaks by arresting several people.
He said Modi had called for a "foolproof system" to prevent irregularities in the future at a closed-door meeting with his allies on Tuesday.
Modi has yet to comment directly on the protests.
