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.

India's central government moved Education Secretary Vinit Joshi out of the education ministry and transferred him to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj amid intense student protests over leakage of medical entrance exam question papers. The administrative change occurred last Thursday, and Naresh Pal Gangwar was appointed as the new education secretary after serving as secretary in the fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy production ministry.

The transfer did not appease protesting students, who remain firm in demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and an impartial investigation into the unified medical entrance test (NEET) paper leak. The Facebook-based group 'Cocoroch Janata Party' (CZP) has been protesting since June 6, and notable activist Sonam Wangchuk, who began a hunger strike on June 28 in solidarity, broke his fast after the transfer and is currently hospitalized at Medanta. Reports in the source say at least 12 examinees have died by suicide across states in reaction to the paper leak incident.

On July 20 thousands of students staged protests outside the Indian parliament in New Delhi demanding the education minister's resignation over repeated exam paper leaks, and police used force to disperse them. Eighteen-year-old Avantika Singh filmed tear gas and baton charges and posted edited footage on Instagram; dozens of students were reportedly injured and many captured scenes of alleged police brutality on mobile phones.

The footage has spread across social media, turning platforms once used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party into tools for opposition by Gen Z. Videos show alleged beatings, use of pellet guns, pleas to police from family members, and officers knocking students down; protests then spread to major cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Patna, Lucknow and Aizawl. A student pressure group called 'Kakaroch Janata Party' is leading peaceful demands that include the education minister's resignation, no legal action against protesters and compensation for families of students who committed suicide due to paper leaks.

Under pressure, Modi announced on social media that fast‑track courts would be formed to punish those responsible for paper leaks, while students continue to amplify their resistance through memes and viral video edits online.

Sonam Wangchuk, an environmental activist and educator, ended a 27-day hunger strike late Friday at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram after assurances from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Central ministers Jagat Prakash Nadda and Jitendra Singh were present when Wangchuk broke his fast on his hospital bed, and his wife Geetanjali Jain Angmo was also at his side.

Modi had issued a video statement at 11:53pm promising tougher legal action over exam paper leaks, calling the issue a matter of deep distress for millions of students and parents. He said the government has taken steps including arrests over the past two and a half months and has held re-examinations involving about 2.2 million candidates; he proposed fast-track courts and will seek to pass related legislation in the ongoing parliamentary session.

After Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, those present draped him in a shawl and offered congratulations, and Modi later sent him well-wishes on social media urging a speedy recovery following medical advice.

A local BNP leader, Mohammad Obaidur Rahman, was expelled from his party post and primary membership after an explicit video of him with a woman circulated on Facebook in Faridpur. The disciplinary action was announced late Thursday night by Faridpur district BNP leaders, including convener Advocate Syed Modarres Ali Isha and member secretary A K M Kibria Swapon, in a party notice.

The notice said the decision followed the spread of a 5 minute 37 second objectionable video and described the act as a moral transgression warranting removal from party positions. District BNP member secretary A K M Kibria Swapon confirmed the video's circulation and said the party held a meeting Thursday night that decided on the expulsion. A copy of the dismissal letter was initially posted on his personal Facebook account.

Repeated calls to Obaidur Rahman’s mobile went unanswered and his phone was found switched off according to the report, leaving no immediate comment from him.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged tougher action to curb exam paper leaks amid nationwide controversy and protests. In a late-night post and video on X on Thursday, he said the central government will take stricter decisions at Friday’s cabinet meeting and outlined steps already taken over the past two-and-a-half months to address exam-related fraud and criminal networks.

Modi said many suspects involved in the crime have been arrested and sent to jail, and the government has prioritized protecting students’ futures. He said about 2.2 million students should be able to receive re-evaluation or re-examination promptly, noting that final results were published on the 19th and successful candidates have been reported nationwide. He added that fast-track courts have been set up to ensure speedy trials.

He said the cabinet will discuss the matter in detail on Friday and final decisions will follow colleagues’ views, and the government will push to rapidly pass a tough legal bill on paper leaks in parliament’s second week starting Monday.

President Mohammad Sahabuddin Chuppu may resign from the presidency as early as Friday, according to Reuters and local sources cited by Amar Desh. The report says he has decided to step down for health reasons and may leave Bangabhaban this month. He plans to travel to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he previously received bypass and cardiac care.

Bangabhaban officials and close aides have been informed of the president's personal decision and medical plans, Amar Desh reported. In response to the resignation news, Speaker of Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmed cut short his Thailand trip and will return home on Friday; the speaker had been scheduled to return on July 26. Under the constitution, a president must submit a resignation to the speaker, and the speaker becomes acting president if the office is vacant or the president is unable to perform duties.

Constitutional provisions require a new president to be elected by members of parliament within 90 days of the vacancy, during which the speaker would serve as acting president.

National Citizens Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Md. Nahid Islam addressed a July rally and march in Jamalpur Sadar demanding implementation of the July people's verdict, border security and other five-point demands. Speaking at the event on July 23, he said the hoped-for change from the July uprising had not materialised, and listed unresolved issues including drug trafficking, extortion, partisan institutions and land grabbing.

Nahid Islam argued that if people’s rights are to be protected the NCP must be brought to power, noting the party’s eight MPs perform the role of many more on behalf of citizens. He criticised the government’s inability to bring reform, said the president should not only resign but be arrested, and called for a capable, neutral guardian as president while accusing BNP of not wanting a popular candidate.

At the rally NCP northern organiser Parsis Alam and other central and local leaders also spoke; organisers questioned arrests over recent arson at the July memorial and urged police accountability on the incident.

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Amir Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari called for special prayers for Religious Affairs Minister Shah Mufazzal Hossain Kaykobad’s speedy recovery during a prayer gathering in Chattogram on Thursday. The event was held at Jamia Azizul Uloom Babunagor Madrasa mosque after Asr and included ulema, students and teachers; the minister is currently receiving treatment in Singapore.

Prominent ulema including the madrasa’s naib-e muhtamim Maulana Ayub Babunagari attended the prayer mahfil where Babunagari described the minister as devout, patriotic and humane, and said he had been severely persecuted by the Awami fascist group. Separate special prayers for the minister’s rapid and full recovery were also organised at multiple madrasas including Darul Uloom Hathazari, Jamia Obaidia Nagpur and Jamia Arabia Zirri, with various leading clerics conducting the supplications.

Hefazat’s amir and secretary urged scholars, the towhidi public and the nation to pray earnestly for the minister’s cure, and a press release from Hefazat-e-Islam issued these details on Thursday.

Mahmoodur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh, said on Thursday that several revolutionaries joining the government after the July mass uprising was the biggest mistake. Speaking at a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka organized by the National Engineers Alliance of Bangladesh to remember the martyrs of the July uprising, he argued that after a successful revolution revolutionaries should have stayed out of government and established the ‘July vision’ from outside.

He compared the July uprising to successful revolutions like Cuba’s and said some local revolutionaries erred by becoming part of the existing state apparatus. He called the choice of Dr. Muhammad Yunus as interim government head “perfect” for that moment, while noting he did not fully agree with all Yunus’s actions. He urged revolutionaries to form a revolutionary political force, create an ideological basis for state change, and maintain unity under the July revolution’s umbrella.

He said the July uprising’s three distinct features were that it was unarmed, wholly domestic, and had no single leader, and he urged fighters to remain united to keep the martyrs’ memory alive.

A young woman named Riya Ahir single-handedly stopped a moving police van near Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai, during heavy rain on Wednesday, a moment captured in viral photos and videos. The incident occurred amid ongoing student protests and quickly became a powerful symbol of the movement after the crowd applauded and chanted in support of her action.

Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that Riya’s intervention compelled police to release detained protesters, and the crowd’s reaction highlighted the scene’s impact. According to her Instagram profile, Riya Ahir is an actor, model and entrepreneur who runs a handcrafted fashion brand called “Riyasat” and has nearly 100,000 followers on social media.

The report linked the incident to wider student unrest and noted related political developments and restrictions elsewhere, while providing no further operational details about the protest’s next steps.

Protests demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over exam paper leaks in New Delhi have intensified, with students staging peaceful marches and sit-ins in recent days. Demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and other sites have been met by police action, and multiple public interest litigations have been filed in the Delhi High Court alleging use of tear gas, baton charges and widespread physical abuse of protestors.

Petitioners say the police response was not isolated but a deliberate suppression by forces under the Home Ministry, and social media circulated videos purportedly show tear gas and officers in plain clothes assaulting demonstrators. Authorities have filed ten FIRs against unidentified individuals connected to the protests; journalists report Prime Minister Narendra Modi later ordered a fast-track court for those implicated in the paper leak scandal.

The protests continue with students pressing for accountability over the exam leak and broader reforms to an education system they say excludes many; courts will now consider the allegations of police misconduct in pending petitions.

ATM Azharul Islam, deputy emir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and MP for Rangpur-2, said in Rangpur on Thursday that President Shahabuddin Chuppu should have been removed long ago and that keeping him in office is a grave mistake by BNP. Speaking at his home in Badraganj, he demanded swift removal and legal action, arguing the presidency cannot remain above accountability if constitutional duties and public expectations are unmet.

Azhar warned the government cannot sidestep the implementation of the July referendum result and said ignoring the popular verdict will carry political consequences for the government. He threatened constitutional measures inside parliament and democratic movements outside if the result is not implemented swiftly. He also criticized BNP for following patterns of authoritarian governance he attributes to the current ruling party and called for strengthening democratic institutions.

Azhar said he will raise people's demands strongly in parliament and continue peaceful political programs to secure democratic rights and enforce the referendum's outcome.

Protesters in India demanding the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan have adopted an internet trend centering on Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland during demonstrations in July 2026. Gen-Z activists and social media users have turned the 25-year-old striker into a humorous focal point, dubbing him the "people's prince" and linking his online presence to pressure on political leaders amid the ongoing net question leak controversy.

The trend grew after a parody Instagram post using Narendra Modi's name invited Haaland to reply, joking that Modi would accept Pradhan's resignation if Haaland responded; the post drew thousands of comments. Comedians and users contributed memes and jokes, and protesters in Mumbai even mimicked Haaland's "Viking roar" celebration during street demonstrations, showing how internet culture is being used alongside slogans and speeches.

Observers note that frustrated young people are using memes and viral content to express anger and mobilize; the source attributes the reporting to The Telegraph India and links the phenomenon to the broader Gen-Z movement in India.

Students and young people from across India have travelled to Delhi to take part in the 'Kakroach Janata Party' mass protest against alleged exam paper leaks and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Many arrived by overnight trains or buses and some left home without informing their families; several teenagers from Mumbai and Prayagraj were observed at the protest site near Jantar Mantar on Monday.

Witnesses at Jantar Mantar described participants distributing cold drinks and aiding fellow protesters; a 15-year-old from Prayagraj said he ran away from home and did not bring a bag to avoid detection. A young woman at the protest concealed her identity with a mask, fearing opposition from family and villagers who support the ruling party. Protesters invoked figures such as Bhagat Singh and B.R. Ambedkar and displayed banners referencing Bhagat Singh's 1929 hunger strike, while chanting "Inquilab Zindabad."

Organisers and participants continued the demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Monday, with reports of police detaining a hunger-striking protester and social media posts about a missing student later saying she was found.