In a significant development, Indian education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has stepped down, marking a substantial triumph for youth activists nationwide who had been calling for his resignation following the scandal of examination paper leaks.
The announcement came on Saturday, coinciding with police deployment of tear gas to disperse young demonstrators in New Delhi. This happened just hours before the protest leaders were scheduled to engage in further discussions with government officials.
In a message posted on X, Pradhan explained, “Given the current situation at Jantar Mantar and across the nation, to prevent any misuse by anti-national entities, I have submitted my resignation to the prime minister.”
He added, “I hold the aspirations, emotions, and valid expectations of the country’s youth in great regard.”
The news of Pradhan’s resignation sparked cheers among the thousands of protesters who had gathered in central Delhi and other locations.
“We have done it,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party that led the protests, to loud cheers at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi.
Youngsters at the site shouted “Jai Hind”, a patriotic slogan meaning “Victory to India”.
India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement began in May after a supreme court chief justice compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing on another issue.
In early June, a series of exam leaks that forced millions to retake a gruelling, high-stakes medical entrance exam sparked the movement’s first offline protests.
The protests have continued since then, but anger boiled over after police on Monday injured dozens of students, launching baton charges and firing tear gas to deter crowds of protesters marching on parliament.
Federal authorities on Saturday restricted access to the internet and to 18 metro stations to try to limit the protest in New Delhi.
In recent days, Indians in Australia have gathered in solidarity with those back home.
The protests also reflect anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world’s most populous nation struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
According to a recent study, almost 40 per cent of India’s graduates below the age of 25 are unemployed.