Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a late-night video address on Thursday amid an ongoing protest by the Kokroch Janata Party at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He said a draft for a strict new law to prevent examination paper leaks had been submitted to him and would be discussed at Friday’s cabinet meeting. Modi said the draft includes provisions for fast-track courts and severe penalties, and that the government would seek to pass the bill in Parliament as soon as possible.

Modi said paper leaks cause severe mental distress for millions of students and their parents, and that arrests and other measures had been taken over the past two and a half months. He said examinations for about 2.2 million students were arranged and results released on July 19 to prevent the loss of an academic year. The CJP said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign. Environmental and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike in solidarity with the protest on Friday.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of repeatedly choosing repression over dialogue. In remarks reported on July 24, 2026, she said the government views students seeking accountability as “enemies of the country.” She said the state had used its power against the country’s future generation rather than responding with empathy.

Gandhi said a similar pattern had been seen in the treatment of farmers and rights activists. She described the use of repressive state power against future doctors, engineers, teachers, government officials and entrepreneurs as unforgivable. According to Gandhi, the crisis in India’s education system and the government’s tendency to avoid accountability are the main causes of student protests. She said students’ protests were natural because they face an uncertain and discouraging education system, and argued that repressive conduct rather than listening to their concerns and demands was making the situation more complicated.

A council office in Kanjarpara, under Teknaf upazila’s Whykong union, was attacked and extensively vandalised during a public hearing on the division of four unions in Teknaf. The incident occurred at about 3pm on July 23, leaving upazila government officials and local BNP leaders trapped inside the council building. Protesters then blocked the Teknaf-Cox’s Bazar highway, stopping vehicle movement.

Junaid Ali Chowdhury, joint convener of the upazila Jubo Dal and a union BNP leader, blamed banned Awami League, Jubo League and certain miscreants for the attack. Upazila BNP organising secretary HM Osman Gani demanded the arrest within 24 hours of those involved, citing video footage. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the blockade. Police failed to calm the situation, but Upazila Nirbahi Officer Anik Chowdhury later arrived and assured protesters that their demands would be met. The blockade was withdrawn at 7pm.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished activist and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk good health after Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike, according to a report published on July 24, 2026. In a message on X, Modi urged Wangchuk to follow doctors’ advice and return quickly to his normal weight. Wangchuk ended the fast on Friday at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon, where he had been fasting since June 28.

Wangchuk decided to withdraw the fast after the government assured that no legal action would be taken against peaceful protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Union ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, leaders of the Leh-Ladakh Apex Body, doctors and Wangchuk’s family members were present when he ended the fast. Nadda said the government was positively considering not filing cases against peaceful protesters and participants in the July 20 march toward Parliament. The Cockroach Janata Party said its peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until it secured the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Protests are continuing at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over an examination paper leak, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of India’s Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, said the movement would continue until the minister resigns. He alleged that the education minister bears the real responsibility for the NEET scandal and said resignation is the protesters’ only demand.

In an interview with NDTV, Dipke said talks could take place at Jantar Mantar or another neutral venue if the government wished, but not at ministers’ residences. He said the group did not want to repeat past experiences in which time was allegedly wasted in the name of discussions. The movement began on June 6 and gained momentum after Ladakh social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined an indefinite hunger strike on June 28. Dipke said protests on the same demand were also taking place in Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru and other cities.

Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Deepake urged India’s central education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, to join protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and resign over the NEET scandal. In an interview with NDTV, Deepake referred to Pradhan’s earlier remarks against examination paper leaks and said a resignation letter would be ready for the minister to sign. He alleged that Pradhan bears the real responsibility for the scandal and said the minister’s resignation is the movement’s sole demand.

Continuous protests demanding Pradhan’s resignation have been underway at Jantar Mantar since 6 June. Deepake said demonstrations with the same demand are also taking place in Mumbai, Jaipur, Bengaluru and other cities. He said talks could take place at Jantar Mantar or a neutral venue if the government wished, but not at ministers’ residences, citing previous delays in the name of discussions. Ladakh social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined an indefinite hunger strike in support on 28 June, after which the movement gained momentum.

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the interim government’s chief adviser, described AFP’s reporting during the July movement in an interview with Amar Desh. Alam, who was AFP’s Bangladesh bureau chief at the time, said the agency anticipated renewed protests after a High Court verdict on June 5 and began covering demonstrations centred on Dhaka University around July 7 or 8. He said international media coverage expanded after July 16, while protests spread on a wider scale in Dhaka on July 18.

According to Alam, broadband and mobile internet were shut down on the night of July 18. AFP was able to send video and photographs from July 19 through an existing VSAT connection. He said the office allowed journalists, freelancers and activists working for Reuters, The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Netra News and AP, among others, to use its internet. He said an average of 50 to 60 people used the office’s five computers daily from July 19 to 24. Alam also said then state minister for information Mohammad Ali Arafat had threatened AFP over its reporting.

Delhi University has urged teachers and students not to join ongoing protests in the Indian capital over a medical examination paper leak. In a message posted on X on Thursday, the university said gatherings and demonstrations at Jantar Mantar are strictly regulated under directions from India’s Supreme Court. It warned that law enforcement agencies could take legal action against people participating in unlawful assemblies.

The university said the warning was issued with the safety of students and teachers in mind. It said involvement in such activities could disrupt students’ academic work and negatively affect their future professional prospects. The institution also cautioned against sharing or reacting to unverified, false or misleading information circulating on social media. Kakaroch Janata Party is continuing its protest at Jantar Mantar, while the Congress-led opposition alliance has joined in solidarity. The party and opposition groups have demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leak.

An Amar Desh report published on July 24, 2026 recounts events of July 24, 2024 during the quota reform movement in Bangladesh. It says law-enforcement forces conducted a sweep operation and arrested students and members of the public. The report claims about 1,400 people were arrested nationwide that day, including 641 in Dhaka, and says the official death toll from July 17 to 24 exceeded 201. It also reports that six-and-a-half-year-old Ria Gop was shot while sitting with her father on a rooftop in Narayanganj and later died.

According to the report, coordinators Asif Mahmud, Abu Bakar Majumdar and Rashidul Islam Rifat were released blindfolded on July 24 after being taken away on July 19. Statements attributed to Asif and Abu Bakar describe pressure to suspend or end the movement and being held in confinement. The report also alleges that journalists and editors meeting the prime minister at the Prime Minister's Office under the Editors Guild banner called protesters terrorists, militants and saboteurs. It further mentions condemnation of the government's use of force by the United Nations, Amnesty International and the Pentagon.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and other student organisations have called for nationwide protests in India over an alleged baton charge on students demonstrating in Delhi. In support of the ongoing student movement, the groups announced a Friday programme titled “Stay Awake, Awaken the Country.” SFI all-India general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya announced the programme at a Wednesday press conference in Delhi, calling on people across the country to remain on the streets through the night in solidarity with the movement.

SFI said it had called a nationwide student strike for July 24 and urged other student and mass organisations to support it. The organisation also announced symbolic protests against police across the country on July 25 and 26 over alleged police abuse of students. It said Melody chocolates would be handed to police personnel as “return gifts” during those actions. SFI has also written to opposition members of parliament about what it describes as a crisis in the education system, citing the NEET paper leak, alleged irregularities in the UGC-NET examination, discrepancies in Class 12 results and questions about the National Testing Agency’s role.

President Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu is preparing to resign from Bangabhaban and has a resignation letter ready, according to multiple Bangabhaban and government sources. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is cutting short his Thailand trip to return home; once he is back the resignation formalities before the Speaker could begin. The process could be completed today or tomorrow.

Government sources and the home minister have said the constitution allows a president to resign for health or other reasons and that such matters will be resolved under constitutional provisions. Officials at Bangabhaban and family members say the president has expressed intent to resign for "advanced treatment" and "full rest" after two CMH health checks in the past seven days found heart disease and neurological complications; specialists advised advanced care and rest. The constitution requires a signed resignation letter to be submitted to the Speaker and the Speaker serves as acting president until a new president is elected within 90 days.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is scheduled to return by a midday flight and will assume acting president duties if the presidency becomes vacant, allowing the resignation process to proceed promptly.

The Kakroach Janata Party (KJP) has called for nationwide protests across India today in response to an exam paper leak and to stand with people who suffered police violence. The call accompanies student-led actions after police baton charges on July 20, and various organizations including the Student Federation of India have announced a nationwide student strike and marches, with a planned Kolkata march from Sealdah to Dharmatala.

In a message posted on X, the Kakroach Party urged the general public and students to join Friday's programs and asked organizers to ensure students clearly voice their main demands from the front of each rally. The party also advised student groups and other allied organizations to cooperate closely to simplify permissions and logistical arrangements for the demonstrations.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) reported that it prevented an attempt by members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to push eight people into Bangladesh near pillar 152/1-S in Kushtia's Daulatpur area on the morning of Friday.

According to a press release sent on behalf of the commanding officer of the Kushtia battalion (47 BGB), at about 5:10am the patrol of Joypur BOP detected eight unidentified people (two men, four women and two transgender persons) being taken by members of the 146 BSF battalion from Char Meghna camp across the Mathavhanga river by swimming. The BGB patrol immediately blocked their entry and, after maintaining a firm position, the group returned to Indian territory by river, resulting in the alleged pushback attempt being foiled successfully.

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), said President Mohammad Sahabuddin should not only resign but be arrested and brought to trial. He made the remarks on Thursday evening at a rally organized by the district NCP at the Fouzdari Chowk in Jamalpur city, saying the president had supported the July movement's violence and faced corruption allegations.

Nahid Islam said the people of Bangladesh want a capable, neutral and guardian-like figure as president and warned that appointing an unqualified person would erode any remaining public trust in the government. He criticized the government for failing to deliver an earlier promise to secure employment within 18 months, saying it had not created any jobs in five months and accused it of extortion, land grabbing and looting instead.

At the rally he demanded implementation of the referendum result, creation of youth employment and assurance of basic rights; NCP leaders also participated in a student rally at Jamalpur University of Science and Technology and later led a procession through the city ending at Fouzdari Chowk.

Sarjis Alam, chief organizer of the National Citizens Party (NCP) for the northern region, said that no one should be allowed to cross limits and that restraints must be applied to keep Bangladesh on the right path. He spoke on Thursday, July 23, at an exchange with students of Jamalpur University of Science and Technology (Jabiprbi) as part of the July Awakening and July March 2026, urging the new generation — including public and private university students — to enforce these restraints.

During the discussion he also addressed the country's current education system and various infrastructural problems at Jabiprbi. Other speakers at the meeting included Jahid Ahsan, central president of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti; Lutfur Rahman, joint secretary of the NCP; and Liton Akand, convener of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti at Jabiprbi. Local leaders from NCP and Jatiya Jubo Shakti and ordinary university students were present.