India’s Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has resigned after weeks of nationwide protests over alleged examination paper leaks, prompting organisers of the Cockroach movement to end demonstrations after declaring that the government had accepted all of their demands.
Pradhan announced his resignation on X on Saturday, handing a major victory to the youth-led movement that had organised nationwide rallies, sit-ins and hunger strike s over alleged irregularities in India’s education system.
The resignation marks the first major concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to one of the largest waves of public dissent it has faced in recent years.
The Cockroach movement began more than a month ago after allegations emerged that some of India’s biggest entrance examinations had been compromised by paper leaks. What started as a campaign for education reforms quickly expanded into broader protests over unemployment, government accountability and economic opportunities, attracting students, professionals, families and activists across the country.
Following Pradhan’s resignation, protest leaders announced they were calling off demonstrations after the government agreed to their remaining demands, including sweeping education reforms, compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the exam leak scandals, and assurances that no legal action would be taken against protesters. “We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from protest sites,” said Ashutosh Ranka, spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement.
News of the minister’s resignation sparked celebrations at protest camps in New Delhi, where thousands of demonstrators had remained for more than a month. Protesters embraced one another and waved India’s national flag as news of the government’s concession spread.
Prachi Kumar, a corporate employee who joined the demonstrations, said accountability had finally been enforced. “This had to be done. Someone must be held accountable.”
The Cockroach Janta Party also celebrated the development on X, posting: “DEMOCRACY WINS!”
The protests became one of the most sustained challenges to Modi’s administration, with demonstrators continuing to return to the streets despite police using tear gas and batons to disperse crowds.
Tensions escalated earlier in the week when police moved against thousands of protesters marching towards Parliament, leaving several students injured and fuelling further public anger.
Before Pradhan’s resignation, the government had attempted to calm the unrest by promising fast-track courts for examination malpractice cases and proposing tougher laws against cheating and corruption in the education system. Protest leaders rejected the measures, insisting they failed to address government accountability.
Opposition parties, which backed the demonstrations, described the minister’s resignation as evidence that sustained public pressure had forced the government to act.
Rahul Gandhi, India’s main opposition leader in Parliament, called the resignation a major step toward revamping our education system.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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