India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday, delivering a major win to youth protesters across India who had demanded he step down over exam paper leaks.
He announced the move on X, sending his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, just as police used tear gas to disperse young demonstrators in Delhi, hours before protest leaders were due to hold fresh talks with government ministers.
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 25, 2026
In a two-page letter, Pradhan said he was resigning to prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the situation, preserve national unity, ensure no student’s future gets caught in legal trouble, and let children focus on their studies and careers.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the youth-led group spearheading the protests, hailed the resignation, declaring on X, “Cockroaches won.. Democracy won!”
Cockroaches won.. Democracy won!
— Cockroach is Back (@Cockroachisback) July 25, 2026
Jai Hind! 🇮🇳✊🏼
The movement has posed the biggest challenge to Modi’s government from young people since he took office in 2014, with opposition parties backing the demands and disrupting Parliament’s ongoing monsoon session.
Also read: India’s Chief Justice refuses urgent hearing on police brutality against CJP protest
Earlier Saturday, CJP supporters had kept up their sit-in at Jantar Mantar, the same site where police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters on Monday.
In his letter, Pradhan defended his record, saying that “from day one” he had taken responsibility and never turned away from the situation.
He noted the government acted swiftly after irregularities surfaced in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam on May 3, ordering a CBI probe, cancelling the exam, and announcing a re-exam date, while also deciding to shift to computer-based testing from next year.
He also accused unnamed officials in positions of responsibility of misleading students.
Pradhan said the past ten days had “saddened” him and insisted the episode wasn’t about his personal reputation, vowing “we will not let the country’s youth get caught in a web of confusion.”
Also read: Tendulkar, other Indian sports stars call for education reforms amid student protests
