India’s Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, resigned on Saturday. This followed widespread protests involving the Cockroach Janta Party, which emerged to demand significant reforms after the mishandling of an alleged exam paper leak. This incident sparked one of the biggest public protests in recent years.
Pradhan announced his resignation on the social media platform X. He stated, “I hold deep respect for the aspirations, sentiments, and rightful expectations of the youth of this country.”
Cockroaches won. Democracy won!
The Cockroach Janta Party, which began as a parody of the Bharatiya Janata Party, celebrated his resignation as a victory for democracy. In New Delhi, students and activists celebrated the announcement, many waving flags of India. The movement, which took its name from a remark by India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant, has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government strongly.
The protests erupted after online leaks disrupted the NEET undergraduate exam, a critical gateway to India’s medical schools. Anger among youth spread from New Delhi to cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad. Authorities faced challenges in controlling the protests, with police deploying tear gas and batons near the Parliament building.
Protesters listed several demands beyond the minister’s resignation. These included compensation for families of students who died by suicide due to the leaked exam papers and accountability over police actions against protesters. The CJP posted that families should receive compensation of one crore rupees ($100,000) and called for action against the police officers involved.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi addressed the issue through a video on Instagram. He acknowledged the severity of the paper leaks and announced the creation of fast-track courts to expedite related cases. However, protesters deemed his response inadequate.
An activist, Sonam Wangchuk, held a 26-day hunger strike to support the protests. He was hospitalized last weekend by police but ended the strike on Friday following negotiations and concerns over potential violence. Wangchuk called Pradhan’s resignation “a victory of peace, patience & perseverance.”
He praised the CJP and acknowledged the courage of young citizens for standing up against fear.
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