Video footage has emerged of a woman accusing road development authorities of failing to place safety barriers around a road excavation pit, into which her husband had fallen and sustained severe injuries.

According to her, the couple had been traveling in the area at night when the accident occurred.

Staging a protest at the site the following morning, she alleged that no safety barriers or warning boards had been in place during the night, and that workers had only installed them after the incident.

The woman, a mother of three, appealed to authorities for justice and to save her husband, stressing that even a single warning sign at the excavation site could have prevented the accident. (Newswire)

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The Matara Magistrate’s Court has ordered a man to compensate the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for losses amounting to Rs. 201,059.90, after his protest atop a high‑voltage power pole disrupted electricity supply across several areas.

Police said the incident occurred on July 21 in Kamburupitiya, where the suspect climbed a pole belonging to the high‑voltage transmission system to express dissent over a family dispute. 

The action caused a blackout lasting more than two hours in Thihagoda, Kamburupitiya, Akuressa, Mulatiyana, Deyyandara, Mawarala, Deniyaya and surrounding areas.

The suspect was persuaded to descend after police brought his family members to the scene. He was immediately taken into custody and produced before the Matara Magistrate’s Court, which initially remanded him until July 24.

On July 24, the Chief Magistrate directed Kamburupitiya Police to calculate the financial loss incurred by the CEB. The suspect was further remanded until July 28.

When the case was recalled on July 28, police reported the loss at over Rs. 200,000. The suspect admitted guilt, and the court ordered him to pay the amount to the CEB.

The case has been fixed for November 3 for further proceedings. (Newswire)

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Supporters of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) remained camped at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, vowing to continue their protest despite a police crackdown earlier this week.

Police in the Indian capital said scores of protestors and police officers were injured in the clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Mobile internet was suspended in parts of the city, including around the Jantar Mantar protest site, during the violence.

The movement, which began over alleged examination paper leaks, has expanded into a broader campaign demanding accountability.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Earlier this year, authorities canceled the high-stakes NEET medical entrance exam over a leaked question paper, affecting millions of students and sparking outrage across India.

What is India’s Cockroach Janta Party?

The CJP began as an online campaign in May and rapidly evolved into a Gen Z street movement, giving a voice to a generation frustrated by unemployment, shrinking opportunities and a failing education system.

The youth-led Cockroach movement is now posing an unexpected challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, prompting a response that combines political outreach with police action.

Modi’s rivals have also tried to step in and take advantage of the youth’s frustrations.

“Is this how a government behaves? Using tear gas and baton charges against students? This is a worthless government,” Renuka Chowdhury, an MP from India’s opposition Congress party, told DW.

Lessons from earlier protests in India

The CJP movement gained fresh momentum over the weekend after veteran reform activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose three-week hunger strike has become a symbol of the protests, was forcibly taken to a hospital by police.

It is not the first time India has experienced major protest movements. Hunger strikes, famously used by Mahatma Gandhi, remain a common and peaceful form of protest in India.

India Against Corruption (IAC) led by veteran activist Anna Hazare, managed to mobilize millions in 2011 and reshape the country’s political landscape. A decade later, yearlong farmers’ protests forced Modi to repeal controversial farm laws. However, a 2023 Olympic wrestlers’ protest over allegations of sexual harassment achieved few of their goals, despite widespread sympathy.

Analysts say the CJP lacks a nationwide organizational network, which the farmers had at their disposal. Yet like the IAC movement, it has tapped into a broader public mood.

“This protest is different because it reflects a much broader cross-section of Indian society,” said Yamini Aiyar, an analyst and senior visiting fellow at Brown University. “They are expressing their frustration with a country whose long-atrophied education system has left them with very little hope of a better future.”

“Like the IAC movement, it has drawn the middle class onto the streets,” Aiyar told DW. “But this is a far more coercive political environment. From the anti-citizenship protests to the farmers’ movement, citizens have increasingly looked beyond political parties to hold governments to account.”

Police response sparks backlash among Indian protesters

This week’s clashes have done little to quell the anger among India’s Gen Z.

“Like many young people across India, I am angry about a lack of jobs and an education system that crushes my aspirations. Even though my family supports the BJP, I managed to get away,” Rukmini Singh, a student from Meerut, told DW.

“This was an attack against our children. I saw many young boys and girls hurt and bleeding. They will never forget it but the courage these people displayed gives me hope,” Vasundara Singh, a teacher from Bihar, told DW.

As during the farmers’ protests, leftist parties and student organizations have become visible on the ground, helping mobilize supporters and giving the movement organizational backing.

“After 50 years, youth have occupied the road to parliament,” political activist Yogendra Yadav told DW. “This energy by the students shows that the path to parliament goes through the streets. It is remarkable.”

Can CJP mobilize India’s villages as easily as its cities?

The surge in protest numbers forced the government to engage with the movement after weeks of dismissing it.

Alongside the police action, senior ministers opened talks with CJP leaders. Home Minister Amit Shah met cabinet colleagues while Health Minister J P Nadda held discussions with representatives of the movement.

“We will decide on how best to address the students’ demands,” a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, told DW on condition of anonymity.

Most CJP support appears to come from students and India’s urban middle class. The BJP’s strongest electoral base remains in rural India and smaller towns, where the CJP has yet to prove that its message resonates with young voters.

However, some experts believe that the CJP will do just fine beyond India’s urban centers.

“This movement is likely to resonate beyond India’s cities because the aspirations of young people in small towns and villages are no different,” political analyst Radhika Ramaseshan told DW.

“For a generation that saw education as the route to a better life, the failure of the education system has become a deeply political issue,” she said.

“Young people in rural India no longer see farming or traditional occupations as their only future. Whether the CJP itself survives is another matter, but the anger and frustration it has tapped into have the potential to reshape politics.”

‘The anger is now directed at the government’

A movement focused on India’s cities may generate headlines without altering the BJP’s political fortunes. But if the CJP spreads to rural youth, it could become a much broader political challenge.

“I don’t think this will remain an urban movement,” said commentator Apoorvanand.

“People constantly move between villages and cities, and those who witnessed the police action will carry those experiences home,” Apoorvanand told DW.

“The anger is now directed at the government. Whether it becomes a broader political movement depends on the CJP’s ability to widen its appeal.”

For now, the CJP has already achieved something unusual. It has transformed satire into sustained street mobilization, forced the government into talks, and ensured that the concerns of India’s young people remain firmly in the national spotlight.

“This is a long fight. We will have to engage in a very long struggle for this. Because you have to change an entire system, the nexus of that system is very deep-rooted,” said Saurav Das, CJP’s chief spokesperson. (DW)

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An European Union (EU) delegation visiting Sri Lanka’s largest mass grave in Chemmani, Jaffna was met with a protest demanding international intervention and accountability.

Forensic Archeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva briefed the delegation on excavation progress and findings. By yesterday, a total of 467 bodies had been recovered from the site.

Chairperson of the Association of Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, Yogarasa Kanagaranjani, presented the group’s demands to the delegation. 

Protesters voiced strong distrust in Sri Lanka’s domestic justice system, arguing it has failed for decades to deliver truth, justice, and accountability.

Demonstrators also linked their demands to broader political issues, calling for the removal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as a condition tied to the European Union’s GSP+ trade concessions.

The protest unfolded under heavy police presence. (Newswire)

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The Opposition staged a protest in Parliament today, wearing black bands over the recent Negombo Prison unrest. 

They demanded that the government take responsibility for the 27 deaths reported in the clashes. 

Twenty‑seven individuals, including prison officials and inmates, were killed during the unrest at Negombo Prison on July 6. (Newswire)

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A tense situation arose in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station today (25) during a protest organized by the ‘Jana Aragalaya’ movement.

The tense situation occurred following a confrontation between the protesters and the Police.

The protest was staged over several issues, including against the conditions under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and the high cost of living in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)

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The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today ordered that further examination of evidence in the case against six accused, including former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, be taken up on July 13. 

The case relates to allegations of causing public inconvenience by obstructing the road during a protest held in front of the United Nations office in Colombo in 2016.

The matter was heard before Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama. Court officials noted that witnesses were not present during today’s proceedings, prompting the adjournment.

The charges stem from a demonstration staged on February 6, 2016, coinciding with the visit of then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Al Hussein. Protesters allegedly blocked the road outside the UN office at Thummulla, Colombo, leading to public disruption.

Kurunduwatta Police filed the case against Weerawansa and five others under provisions of the Road Ordinance and the Police Ordinance.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 13, when further evidence will be examined. (Newswire)

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The Joint Opposition has strongly condemned the violence unleashed against demonstrators outside the residence of Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma in Pelawatte today.

In a statement, the group expressed “revulsion and indignation” at the attack on peaceful protesters, who were reportedly assaulted and pelted with human excreta, cow dung, rotten tomatoes, and lighted crackers.

The Joint Opposition accused the JVP of resorting to “thuggery and intimidation” to prevent exposure of alleged frauds and misuse of public resources. 

The statement also recalled the party’s violent past, including destruction of public property and killings, and warned against attempts to silence legitimate public protest.

The Joint Opposition vowed not to be silenced, insisting it will continue to defend the people’s rights against what it described as pillage and plunder of the nation’s wealth.

Full statement: 

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Supporters of the New Democratic Front, led by Sugeeshwara Bandara, staged a protest outside the residence of Finance Ministry Secretary, Harshana Suriyapperuma, in Pelawatta, Akuregoda, on Tuesday (28).

The demonstration was held to protest the recently reported $2.5 million Treasury cyber fraud.

During the protest, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Private Secretary, Sugeeshwara Banadara and several others were attacked with cow dung.

A tense situation arose between the two groups, prompting police intervention to restore order. (Newswire)

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A man who climbed onto a traffic light in front of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo was rescued this morning by the Police and firefighters.

According to video footage, the cloth the man was hanging from suddenly gave way, but he landed safely on an Inflatable Rescue Cushion beneath the traffic light set up by the firefighters.

‘Please don’t hit,’ the man pleaded, as Police officers reassured him and then escorted him away from the scene. (Newswire)

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The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) launched a protest near Diyatha Uyana on the Parliament access road in Battaramulla, opposing government actions.

The demonstration caused traffic congestion in surrounding areas, with police closing the road from the Polduwa Junction.  

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and MPs including Harsha de Silva, Mujibur Rahuman, Thalatha Atukorale, and Chamindrani Kiriella joined the protest alongside several other party members. (Newswire)

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A group of women have staged a protest blocking the main road in Mihintale against illicit liquor in the area. 

The protesting women claimed that men in the area were addicted to illicit liquor, which was ruining families. 

Claiming that this was also affecting the education of young children, the women said their hard-earned income was being used by the men to consume illicit liquor. 

“Ten men from our village have died due to illicit liquor. Five more are ill. Why is the Mihintale Police not taking action? They are bribing the Police, who in turn support the illicit liquor trade. We call on the government to provide us with a solution and take action against the illicit liquor trade,” they added. (Newswire)

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Priests and nuns staged a silent protest in front of the Negombo Municipal Council today, condemning the recent assault of a catholic priest by six police officers from the Gampaha Division Crimes Investigation Unit’s motorcycle squad.

The protesting priest and nuns were seen holding placards condemning the assault. 

Meanwhile, it is reported that the six police officers have been suspended from service following the incident.

The priest, who serves as an assistant estate manager at a church-administered farm in Kotadeniyawa, was attacked while returning from a service at the Dippitigoda Church. He was reportedly travelling by motorcycle and dressed in full clerical attire at the time.

The suspects allegedly assaulted the priest and left him by the roadside. He was later admitted to the Negombo Hospital for treatment. 

The Police officers were arrested in connection with the incident and produced before the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court, during which they were ordered into custody until January 29, when an identification parade is scheduled to be held. (Newswire)

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A tense situation arose outside the Presidential Secretariat today as police moved to stop the continuous hunger strike launched by the Association of School Development Officers. 

Four officials of the union are engaged in a life‑threatening fast, while others continue a sit‑in protest at the site. 

The police notification demanding an end to the fast triggered heated exchanges between the protesters and law enforcement.

“We have held multiple rounds of discussions with the Prime Minister and relevant officials regarding our issues. But we have not received any response or justice yet. We will continue our protest until we hear from them. We would like to tell the President and Prime Minister that we are not politicians,” a protester said, speaking to the media. (Newswire)

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A silent protest was held in Colombo today demanding the removal of the Attorney General.

According to reports, the silent protest was held in front of the Colombo High Court. 

The protesters were seen holding placards, accusing the Attorney General of alleged corruption and bias. 

Meanwhile, the BAR Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed concern over recent social media posts targeting the Attorney General.

Issuing a statement, the BASL said that certain individuals are attempting, through such posts, to unfairly interfere with the independence of the Attorney General’s office.

The statement further pointed out that in relation to criminal cases, the Attorney General performs a quasi‑judicial function.

It added that based on the material presented by investigating officers, the Attorney General must decide whether or not to file charges against a suspect, or whether to proceed with indictments.

The BASL emphasized that the Attorney General must also consider whether the relevant evidence is legally admissible and whether, on that basis, there is a fair likelihood of securing a conviction.

The statement further noted that decisions of the Attorney General can be reviewed before the Court of Appeal by way of writ applications, or before the Supreme Court through fundamental rights petitions. (Newswire)

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A group of parents of Grade 6 students in 2026 staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Education, demanding the implementation of the proposed educational reforms related to Grade 6.

It is reported that, in addition to the parents, young children also joined the protest today.

During the demonstration, the protesters emphasized that apart from the problematic English module, the other subject modules should also be taught to the children.

“We want to ask the government if the teachers are willing to teach, and if all modules, except the problematic English module, have no issues, and if the children are also keen to learn, and the parents also are ready for the change, why is the government taking back the books distributed to the children?” one protester said.

“Don’t play with the lives of children. Keep politics for political arenas. Teachers and principals have endorsed this reform as a good change. People can’t play with the lives of our children due to their personal agendas. We request that this new module system be introduced to our children as soon as possible. The failure to do so is an injustice to our children,” another protester said. (Newswire)

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A man has climbed a lamp post on the Galle Face Green road and staged a protest.

It is reported that the protest is being staged over claims that he has been subjected to injustice by the Kelaniya Police.

Reports state that the protester had also tied a noose around his neck.

A fire engine was on site to rescue the protester, while a team from the 1990 emergency ambulance service were also at the scene to provide necessary first aid. 

Watch: https://web.facebook.com/reel/1574810530219379 (Newswire)

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Bolder protests are being recorded across Iran amid an increasing deployment of armed security officers as the government’s efforts to contain an unravelling economic situation fall flat.

Footage circulating online showed huge protests on Tuesday night in the city of Abdanan, in the central province of Ilam, where several major demonstrations have taken place over the past week.

Thousands of people, from children accompanied by parents to the elderly, were filmed walking and chanting in the streets of the small city while helicopters flew overhead. The protesters appeared to have vastly outnumbered the security personnel deployed to contain them.

In the city of Ilam, the province’s capital, videos showed security forces storming the Imam Khomeini Hospital to root out and arrest protesters, something rights group Amnesty International said violates international law and again shows “how far the Iranian authorities are willing to go to crush dissent”.

The hospital became a target after protests in the county of Malekshahi earlier this week, where multiple demonstrators were shot dead while gathering at the entrance of a military base. Some wounded protesters were taken to the hospital.

Several graphic videos from the scene of the shooting circulating online showed people being sprayed with live fire and falling to the ground as they fled from the gate. The local governor said the shooting is under investigation.

State-linked media confirmed that at least three people were killed. They also announced on Tuesday that a police officer was shot dead after armed clashes took place in the aftermath of funeral processions for the dead protesters.

In Tehran, numerous videos showed traders and business owners at the Grand Bazaar, who closed down their shops, clashing with security forces in riot gear with batons and using tear gas.

People could be heard chanting “freedom” in the bazaar and shouting “dishonourable” at police officers. “Execute me if you want, I’m not a rioter,” one man shouted when pressured by security forces, to cheers and clapping from the crowd.

‘Show no mercy’

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, in his first reaction to the protests this week, that rioters must be “put in their place”.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said, “We will show no mercy to rioters this time.”

The situation was similarly tense in adjacent streets and neighbourhoods, where the protests were originally started by shopkeepers on December 28. Multiple other major shopping areas in Tehran saw huge strikes and protests on Tuesday, including Yaftabad, where police were met with shouted slogans, “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon; my life for Iran”.

Iran’s government has been accused of providing support for armed groups in Gaza and Lebanon.

More clashes were recorded around the Sina Hospital in downtown Tehran, but the Tehran University of Medical Science said in a statement that the tear gas canisters filmed inside the hospital compound were not thrown by security forces.

Demonstrations also occurred in Lorestan and Kermanshah in the west; Mashhad in the northeast; Qazvin, south of the capital; the city of Shahrekord in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari to the southwest; and the city of Hamedan, where a woman was filmed braving a police water cannon in the winter cold.

A foreign-based human rights monitor opposed to the theocratic establishment in Iran claimed at least 35 people have been killed in the protests so far. The Iranian state has not announced casualty figures, and Al Jazeera could not independently verify any.

Cooking oil triples in price

The country continues to have one of the highest inflation rates in the world, especially when it comes to the rampant increases in prices of essential food items.

The government of moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian says it is implementing plans to make sure the economic situation is contained, but a rapid decline continues to unfold.

The country’s embattled currency, the rial, was priced at more than 1.47 million to the US dollar in the open market in Tehran on Tuesday, marking yet another new all-time low that showed a lack of public and investor trust.

The price of cooking oil has experienced by far the sharpest price surge this week, more than tripling and falling further out of reach of the decimated Iranian middle class, which has seen its purchasing power dwindle since 2018, when the US unilaterally abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed harsh sanctions.

The development comes after Pezeshkian presented a budget for the upcoming Iranian calendar year, starting in late March, that eliminated a subsidised currency rate used for certain imports, including foodstuffs.

Some economists have welcomed the rationale behind the move, which is to eliminate the rent-distributing subsidised currency rate in an attempt to combat corruption, particularly since the cheaper currency has only been abused and has failed to curb food prices.

The move was expected to lead to increased prices in the short term and face pushback from interest groups within the establishment that have benefitted from the cheap currency for years. But the oil price jump was very sudden, prompting the government to announce official prices of its own, though it remains to be seen whether the market will listen.

Using the resources to be freed from eliminating the cheaper subsidised currency, the government has offered to allocate online credits, each amounting to 10 million rials ($7 at the current exchange rate), to help people buy food.

Two renowned singers, Homayoun Shajarian and Alireza Ghorbani, joined the ranks of many people and celebrities online who said they would stop their professional activities, including scheduled concerts, in solemn observance and support for the protests.

“How can our officials lay down their heads and sleep?” asked Ali Daei, a legend of Iranian football and a respected national figure among the people, in a video interview released on Tuesday that is going viral.

“Perhaps many of them are not even Iranians, since they don’t feel sympathy for the Iranian nation.” (Al Jazeera)

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A group of employees from estates in the Kandapola area staged a protest march yesterday (Jan 05), calling on the government to provide safer housing. 

The protest was staged by around 200 employees from the Concordia and Eskdale estates in the Kandapola area, which was severely affected by Cyclone Ditwah. 

Although authorities have informed them that they could return to their homes, the protesters argue that conditions remain unsafe. 

“Due to rain and winds, we cannot live there. They have sent half back to their homes, claiming that they have received assessment reports. How are we to return there, when there isn’t a proper road? They have said they will place a tree. How can we walk on that? We are living without peace. If they cannot do this, tell them to give us poison and kill us. Everyone turns up when it is the election. We have not received the Rs. 25,000 or Rs. 50,000 relief aid. We have not received anything. Now we are staying at a safety shelter at a temple. We are being fed. But, apart from this, we have not received any assistance from the government,” a protester said. 

The protesters have requested the government to heed their pleas and provide them with housing in safer locations. (Newswire)

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Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. employee trade unions staged a protest today (29 Dec), demanding that the company provide an allowance equivalent to five months’ basic salary as the 2025 bonus, as previously announced by Chairman, Retired Air Vice Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama.

About 50 employees representing the Airport Sri Lanka Freedom Workers’ Union, the People’s Workers’ Union, the Progressive Workers’ Union, the National Workers’ Union, and the SriLankan Airlines Freedom Workers’ Union took part in the protest.

During the protest, the President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Workers’ Union, Muhandiram, revealed that so far only an allowance equivalent to two months’ basic salary has been given as the 2025 bonus, despite the company recording an annual net profit of Rs. 21 billion.

Accordingly, the unions urged that at least an additional allowance equivalent to two months’ basic salary be granted in response to their demand. (Newswire)

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