Indian Education Minister Resigns After Students Pressure

India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned after days of nationwide student protests demanding accountability over examination paper leaks.

Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday in a post on X, saying he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the ongoing unrest did not disrupt students’ futures or create further instability.

In his resignation statement, Pradhan said he wanted to prevent “anti-national forces” from taking advantage of the situation and urged students to return to their studies and focus on their careers.

The protests, led by the self-styled Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) youth movement, have become one of the biggest youth-led demonstrations against the Modi government since it came to power in 2014. Opposition parties also backed the protests and disrupted the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

CJP celebrated the resignation on social media, posting, “Cockroaches won… Democracy won!”

However, protest leaders said their movement would continue until the government fulfills additional demands, including compensation of 10 million Indian rupees for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the exam leak, action against police officers involved in a crackdown on protesters, and the withdrawal of cases filed against students.

Earlier on Saturday, police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi ahead of another round of talks with government representatives.

Pradhan maintained that his government had acted promptly after irregularities surfaced in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) held in May. He noted that the investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the examination was canceled, and a fresh test was announced. He also said future exams would be conducted in computer-based mode.

The minister said his resignation was not about protecting his personal reputation but about safeguarding students’ interests and preserving public confidence in the country’s education system.