Indian Education Minister Resigns Following Mass Protests Over Exam Leaks
The resignation comes after police deployed tear gas in New Delhi and authorities imposed internet and transport restrictions, marking a significant concession to demonstrators demanding accountability for examination irregularities.
India’s Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, announced his resignation on Saturday, handing a major victory to a nationwide youth-led movement protesting against irregularities in high-stakes university entrance examinations. The decision follows intense demonstrations in New Delhi, where police used tear gas to disperse crowds and authorities imposed strict restrictions on internet access and metro services to curb the unrest.
Pradhan stated that he had submitted his resignation letter to the Prime Minister to prevent what he described as "anti-national forces" from exploiting the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the minister expressed respect for the "aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations" of the country’s youth, emphasising that he did not wish for students to become "entangled in legal complexities" or be distracted from their studies and career development.
The protests were triggered by the leaking of a medical entrance question paper, an incident that undermined public trust in India’s university testing system and forced more than two million candidates to re-sit the test. The unrest reflects broader anger among young Indians regarding job scarcity, corruption, and government accountability, with demonstrators demanding that Pradhan take responsibility for the examination failures.
Tensions had escalated significantly earlier in the week, with police injuring many students on Monday during baton charges and tear gas deployments against crowds marching on parliament. By Saturday, federal authorities had closed 18 metro stations in the capital and restricted internet access in an attempt to limit protest activity. Despite these measures, cheers erupted among thousands of protesters in central Delhi and elsewhere upon hearing the news of the minister’s departure.
The resignation marks a pivotal moment in what some reports have referred to as the 'Cockroach' protests, a term reflecting deep-seated discontent among the youth. Following the announcement, leaders of the protest movement were scheduled to hold another round of talks with ministers, as the government seeks to address the systemic issues that have fuelled the widespread demonstrations.
