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Pradhan resigns after protests
India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) pushed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign on Saturday after weeks of protests over alleged exam irregularities and leaks, with the movement calling his departure a major victory.
“Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on X after talks with the CJP”
NBC News reported that Pradhan announced his resignation on X after talks with the CJP, and that the government agreed to drop police cases against protesters and pay compensation to families of students who died by suicide after the alleged paper leaks.
The NBC News account also said the CJP confirmed it had called off its protests because all of its major demands “have been accepted by the government,” while the movement’s slogan “Cockroaches won. Democracy won!” appeared on X.
In New Delhi, crowds of students and activists celebrated after the announcement, and Prerna Vats, a 27-year-old Ph.D. student in Delhi, told NBC News that “everybody started hooting, shouting.”
Demands, arrests, and next steps
As streets emptied around Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street in central New Delhi at midnight, Al Jazeera reported that the CJP had called off its agitation following Pradhan’s resignation, while thousands of students and youth protesters had occupied the site demanding education reforms.
Al Jazeera said two central demands remained: the resignation of Pradhan and compensation to the families of students who died by suicide due to paper leaks and exam cancellations that affected millions of students across India.
The same Al Jazeera report described a crackdown after police cracked down on protesters marching to the Parliament on July 20, injuring more than 100 demonstrators, and it said the CJP added demands including no criminal case to be pursued against any protester or organiser.
Al Jazeera also reported that despite assurances, there had been arrests in several BJP-ruled states, including at least 11 people arrested in West Bengal, and it quoted CJP member Sudhir Sangwan saying, “We are resting and regrouping on what’s next for us.”
How the movement framed the fight
The protests were tied to the NEET undergraduate exam, with Le Mauricien reporting that about two million candidates had participated before the exam was cancelled after the leak of the NEET exam questions.
“About two million candidates had participated in this particularly selective test before its cancellation.”
Le Mauricien said the anger took on a national dimension after the NEET leak, and it described how the movement hardened after police intervention against protesters attempting to reach Parliament, where batons and tear gas sparked a new wave of indignation.
In the Italian-language account from Pagine Esteri, the article said the police used lathi charges, tear gas, and air-compressed pistols, and it described arrests of many protesters and activists across the country, including students planning solidarity protests.
Pagine Esteri also reported that Modi, through the Union Minister J.P. Nadda, announced indemnizzi for families of students who committed suicide after the scandals, while the article quoted Aameen Amitoj, an activist of All India Students Association (AISA), saying “(Modi) ha sicuramente sacrificato un pezzo minore per salvare il re.”
