‘For Our Children’s Future’: Parents Bring Kids to Delhi Protest on Final Day
A protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, which began as a student demonstration against alleged paper leaks and police action, saw parents with young children joining on its final day. The protest occurred after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday evening.
Parents said they came to support the students and to demand a better future for their own children. Salman, 35, arrived with his three children, including a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, after hearing the news of the resignation. “We were following the movement but couldn’t come as we have three children. Today, when we heard he had resigned, we rushed here to celebrate,” he said. His 11-year-old son, Mohammad Saad, added, “Paper leak nahi hona chahiye” (there should be no paper leak).
On Friday night, Kanchan, 34, a make-up artist from Karol Bagh, brought her three-year-old son, dressed as a doctor. “We are here for the future of our children. We can tell them that students endured lathi-charge for them,” she said. “After July 20, we felt we should come. We felt very bad.” She referred to the lathi-charge on students earlier.
Monika Shersiya, 39, joined with her two-year-old son, Sam, dressed as Mahatma Gandhi. “I came with my child so that what is happening to these students does not happen to him. The government does not seem to care even if people die,” she said. She added that after seeing videos of students being beaten, “we had to come.”
Sarfaraz Khan, 47, a tailor from Burari, came with his two-year-old son, Zorin, on Thursday. “We have supported the movement from the start, but this is our first time here. This is for the students who died and for the future of our children,” he said. Mr. Khan, who studied up to Class IX, said that if he did not stand with the protesting students now, no one would stand with his children in the future.
The protest, which lasted several days, highlighted concerns over exam irregularities and police action against students. The resignation of the education minister marked a significant development. Parents expressed hope that their presence would strengthen the demand for a safer and more fair education system.
