Leaders of a youth protest movement in India said the government has requested additional time until Saturday afternoon to respond to their demand that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down over the leak of examination papers.

The meeting between the two sides came after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike, raising hopes for a breakthrough following weeks of protests in New Delhi, where tens of thousands of young people have called for the minister's resignation.

Talks held after weeks of protests

The demonstrations, which began in response to the examination paper leak, have been described as the largest youth-led protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government since he took office in 2014. Opposition parties have backed the protesters' demands and raised the issue during the ongoing monsoon session of parliament.

The first round of comprehensive talks followed preliminary discussions held on Monday. The government was represented by Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, while the protesters were represented by Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka of the movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Protesters reject alternatives

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said protesters made it clear they would accept no solution other than the resignation or dismissal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Speaking after the meeting, Ranka said the government had asked for time until Saturday afternoon to respond, adding that he hoped the minister would resign or be removed from office as soon as possible to bring the standoff to an end.

Union Minister J.P. Nadda described the talks as constructive and said the protesters had presented three main demands, which the government would review during a follow-up meeting on Saturday.

In addition to Pradhan's resignation, the protesters are calling for criminal cases against demonstrators to be dropped and for compensation to be paid to the families of more than 12 students who reportedly died by suicide following the examination paper leak in May. (ILKHA)