New Delhi: As the Jantar Mantar protest site of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other outfits saw youngsters turn out in huge numbers on Monday (July 20) for the planned march to the parliament, protests seeking the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accountability from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government for incidents such as repeated question paper leaks have also spread into other cities across India.BengaluruIn Bengaluru, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Freedom Park on Sunday (July 19) wherein people from different walks of life including college students, young professionals and civil society members carried placards and chanted slogans against the Union government, reported Deccan Herald.“We came here because this is not just about one person or one exam. If students remain silent today, tomorrow every institution will lose credibility,” Apoorva R, a postgraduate student participating in the protest, told the publication.The protesters also expressed their anger over the Delhi police forcefully removing climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar amid his indefinite hunger strike.“This protest should not remain limited to NEET. Farmers, labourers, Dalits and several other sections are facing systemic challenges. Democracy survives only when citizens continue to question those in power,” said actor and activist Kishore, who joined the protest.MumbaiEarlier, hundreds of people had gathered at the Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai on Sunday to express their anger over Wangchuk’s forceful shifting to Safdarjung Hospital from the Jantar Mantar protest site, reported Indian Express.Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who also joined the protest, called for a bigger agitation against the Union government.Later, the Mumbai Police registered an FIR against the organisers of the protest held at Shivaji Park for ‘unlawful assembly’. The police said that no permission was granted to carry out the demonstration.Earlier, the police under the BJP-led government in Maharashtra had registered two FIRs in connection with the protests that were carried out in south Mumbai on Saturday (July 18) in support of Wangchuk.PurniaIn Bihar’s Purnia, the Congress and its youth wing the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Sunday took out a “mashal julus (procession with torches)” to protest against what it termed the “corrupt and failed education system of the Modi government” and demanded the resignation of Union education minister Pradhan.धर्मेंद्र प्रधान इस्तीफ़ा दो ✊🏼IYC और NSUI के साथियों ने #ChhatronKiGoonj के तहत ‘मशाल जुलूस’ निकालकर मोदी सरकार की करप्ट और नाकाम शिक्षा नीति के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ बुलंद की।📍 पूर्णिया, बिहार pic.twitter.com/QpSWbQYX2T— Congress (@INCIndia) July 19, 2026The protest was under the Congress’s initiative of Chhatron ki Goonj, wherein the party is reaching out to students all across the country and raising issues including question paper leak and flaws in the education system.BhubaneswarIn Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, members of the National Student Union of India (NSUI) – the student wing of the Congress – staged a gherao of Union education minister Pradhan’s house on Sunday.NSUI protestors gherao Dharmendra Pradhan’s residence in Bhubaneswar. It was a massive protest, but the media barely covered it.Why didn’t the media cover this protest? pic.twitter.com/3W4dTPHPTR— Surbhi (@SurrbhiM) July 19, 2026SikarIn Rajasthan’s Sikar, the IYC took out a massive torch march, with the protesters demanding the resignation of Union education minister Pradhan. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra was among those leaders who participated in the march against question paper leaks.📍सीकर, राजस्थान | #ChhatronKiGoonj ✊🏻🔥सीकर की ये मशालें उस पेपर लीक सरकार के खिलाफ जल रही हैं जिसने भ्रष्ट शिक्षा व्यवस्था और लगातार हो रहे पेपर लीक से करोड़ों युवाओं के सपनों को अंधकार में धकेल दिया है।#ChhatronKiGoonj अभियान के तहत कांग्रेस साथियों ने छात्रों के समर्थन… pic.twitter.com/6q9H2IzqXP— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) July 19, 2026KotaA similar procession was also taken out in Kota, one of the most popular coaching cities and from where the Chhatron ki Goonj initiative was flagged off by Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi.कोटा से उठी बदलाव की लौ अब देशभर के छात्रों की आवाज़ बन रही है। 🇮🇳#ChhatronKiGoonj के तहत कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं ने कोटा में मशाल जुलूस निकालकर शिक्षा व्यवस्था में सुधार और शिक्षा मंत्री की बर्खास्तगी की मांग बुलंद की।यह मशाल हर उस छात्र के संघर्ष और उम्मीद की प्रतीक है, जो… pic.twitter.com/lEhqYphsR6— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) July 19, 2026RanchiThe NSUI also took out a torch march in Ranchi, demanding accountability over the repeated instances of question paper leaks and also calling for the sacking of Pradhan.रांची की सड़कों पर आज सिर्फ मशालें नहीं जलीं, देश के छात्रों का आत्मसम्मान भी जाग उठा। 🇮🇳#ChhatronKiGoonj अभियान के तहत कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं ने विशाल मशाल जुलूस निकालकर उन करोड़ों छात्रों की आवाज़ बुलंद की, जो एक ईमानदार और जवाबदेह शिक्षा व्यवस्था चाहते हैं।यह मशाल किसी… pic.twitter.com/PbHa1GXQqP— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) July 19, 2026Similar marches were organised by the Congress, NSUI and IYC under the Chhatron Ki Goonj initiative in several other cities including Jodhpur, Indore and Gwalior.यह सिर्फ पेपर लीक की लड़ाई नहीं, बल्कि देश के करोड़ों छात्रों के भविष्य को बचाने की लड़ाई है। 🫵🏻 #ChhatronKiGoonjआज📍 ग्वालियर में युवा कांग्रेस के साथियों ने नेता प्रतिपक्ष राहुल गांधी जी के छात्रों की गूंज अभियान के तहत ‘मशाल जूलूस’ निकाल कर देशभर के छात्रों की आवाज़ बुलंद… pic.twitter.com/ryWYW93Pgv— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) July 18, 2026In many of these cities, along with leaders from opposition parties such as the Congress, members of the public, civil society and students too joined the protests.