Modi says he forgives protesters who abused him during youth-led demonstrations against exam paper leaks

On 1 August 2026, Indian Prime Minister Modi said he forgives protesters who abused him during youth-led demonstrations against exam paper leaks. Reuters reported that he said punishing student protesters will not resolve the situation. Al Jazeera called them the 'Cockroach protests', and Khaleej Times reported that a teenager apologized after online hate.

The Congress party attacked the remark as playing the victim card, and Rahul Gandhi said students deserve an apology rather than forgiveness. Protest figure Abhijeet Dipke asked whether the cases will be withdrawn. Separately, India's National Testing Agency floated a 7.5 crore rupee tender for round-the-clock security at its headquarters and regional offices.