India's education minister promises reforms and debate

India's education minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration was committed to addressing the concerns of protesting youth and exam reforms, in the latest sign that the government was beginning to respond to growing protests.



The comments by Dharmendra Pradhan are his first since the youth-led "cockroach" movement launched a protest in New Delhi last month seeking his resignation over the leak of medical school test papers that affected some 2 million students and was linked to several student suicides.



The protests by the self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) - which began as an online satire - involved a few hundred young peoplewhen they were first launched.



This week, the movement has grown into the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014 as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Delhi on Monday, clashing with police who used tear gas and batons to push them back.



The protests gained further momentum on Tuesday when the main opposition Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, launched a sit-in outside the gates leading to Modi's residence.