India's Education Minister Resigns After Youth-Led Protests

India's Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has resigned following weeks of nationwide youth-led protests over alleged examination paper leaks and irregularities in major entrance examinations. His resignation came after mounting public pressure, with thousands of students demanding accountability for what they described as repeated failures in the country's examination system.

The demonstrations, led by the youth-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, began over allegations of leaks in the NEET medical entrance examination and later expanded to include broader concerns about unemployment, transparency and government accountability. Protesters staged sit-ins, marches and hunger strikes across several cities, while clashes with police further intensified public support for the movement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had initially resisted calls to remove Pradhan, but the sustained protests and growing political pressure eventually led to his resignation. Following the announcement, protest leaders declared victory, called off demonstrations and welcomed the government's reported commitment to education reforms and measures to address examination irregularities.

Pradhan said he accepted moral responsibility for the controversy, while the government pledged to strengthen the integrity of India's examination system. His resignation marks one of the most significant concessions made by the Modi administration in response to sustained public protests in recent years.