Dharmendra Pradhan Quits as Education Minister Amid Nationwide Student Protests

India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday, July 25, after weeks of youth-led protests demanding he step down over exam paper leaks. He handed his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, though Modi has not yet formally accepted it.

The protests began after India's medical entrance exam, NEET, had to be cancelled in May because its question papers were leaked. About two million students had taken the exam, and the cancellation caused huge stress among students, with around a dozen suicides linked to it. A retest was later held in June and results came out in mid-July, but the anger did not die down.

The anger turned into a big movement called the "Cockroach Janta Party." It started in May as a joke after India's Chief Justice made a comment that many young people felt compared frustrated, jobless youth to cockroaches. Students took the insult and turned it into a protest symbol. The group grew fast on social media and became the voice for young people angry about exam leaks and lack of jobs.

Protesters camped for weeks at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. On July 20, thousands tried to march towards Parliament, and police used tear gas and baton charges to stop them. Many protesters and police officers were injured. Videos of the clash spread online and made even more people join the protests. Opposition parties also joined in support, and Parliament was disrupted over the issue.

Until this week, Modi had refused to remove Pradhan despite the pressure, which is normal for how he handles such situations. But the resignation finally came after continued protests, support from public figures.

It is still not clear who will replace Pradhan as education minister or if this will fully satisfy the protesters, who also want changes to stop future exam leaks. Pradhan, 56, has been a minister in Modi's government since 2014 and held the education portfolio since 2021.