Youth protesters agree to end agitation after Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over a series of exam paper leaks
\n New Delhi
\nIndia\u2019s youth protesters have agreed to end their weeks-old agitation \u201cin good faith\u201d after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, a big victory for the movement protesting against a series of examination paper leaks.
\nPradhan announced his resignation on X on Saturday, just as police fired tear gas to scatter the protesters in New Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round \u200cof talks with federal ministers.
\n\u201cConsidering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, so that antinational forces do not take advantage of this situation \u2026 I have sent my resignation letter to Prime Minister [Narendra Modi],\u201d Pradhan wrote in his post, referring to the main protest site in the capital.
\n\u201cI deeply respect the aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations of the country\u2019s youth.\u201d
\nHours later, leaders of India\u2019s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the satirical movement that led the protests, said they were ending their demonstrations after the government \u201caccepted\u201d all its demands, a CJP spokesman said.
\n\u201cAll our demands have been accepted, so we request the protesters to withdraw immediately and return home peacefully,\u201d Ashutosh Ranka said after meeting government ministers.
\nThe movement had three other demands apart from Pradhan\u2019s sacking: 10 million rupees ($103,554) to the families of all students who died by suicide after being told to retake exams, no punitive action against people who participated in the protests, and a public apology from Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force paramilitary over the attacks on the protesters.
\nA federal minister said the government has accepted all the demands and requested that the protest be called off.<\/p>\n
\u2018Democracy won!\u2019
\n\u201cWe have done it,\u201d said Abhijeet Dipke, CJP founder, to loud cheers at the Jantar Mantar, where authorities had restricted access to the internet and closed 18 metro stations around it.
\nThe protesters at Jantar Mantar shouted \u201cJai Hind\u201d, a patriotic slogan meaning \u201cVictory to India\u201d, as the national anthem played on loudspeakers and sweets were distributed among the crowd, as at least 1,000 police stood nearby.
\nSimilar celebrations were also reported from other cities across the country.
\nIn a post on X, the CJP said: \u201cCockroaches won\u2026 Democracy won!\u201d
\nPradhan\u2019s resignation is \u201ca victory of peace, patience & perseverance,\u201d activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike for 26 days to support the Gen Z-led movement, wrote on X.
\nOpposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi welcomed the education minister\u2019s resignation, but said those who hurt the students during \u200cthe protests \u201chave to be held accountable\u201d and Modi must apologise for using such force.
\nAfter Pradhan\u2019s resignation, authorities restored access to the mobile internet around Jantar Mantar after blocking it for most of the week.
\n\u201cYoung generation is here. This is win for the constitution,\u201d protester Tluanga Ralte said, walking with a copy of the Indian constitution at the protest site after Pradhan\u2019s resignation. \u201cWe are not a lazy generation.\u201d
\nAnger had boiled over since police on Monday injured many students, launching baton charges, firing tear gas and even alleged pellet guns to deter crowds of protesters marching \u200con parliament.
\nModi\u2019s government had earlier sought to ease tensions by announcing fast-track courts for cases involving exam paper leaks and saying it would introduce legislation to strengthen measures against cheating and corruption in the examination system.
\nModi departed from his usual mode of scripted addresses and monthly radio broadcasts to post a personal, self-shot video, saying he was upset by the exam paper leaks and would take strict action.
\nBut the protesters said they would not relent unless the education minister resigned.
\nPradhan, 57, is a senior member of Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the son of a veteran BJP leader.
\nA minister since Modi first took office in 2014, he has held several portfolios including petroleum and natural gas, and steel, before becoming education minister in 2021, and was even mentioned in the past as a potential BJP president.
\nThe \u201cCockroach\u201d protests, one of the most visible signs of public dissent against Modi\u2019s government in recent years, reflected growing anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability.
\n\u201cRemember, do not mess with cockroach,\u201d CJP leader Dipke said in a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Youth protesters agree to end agitation after Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over a series of exam paper leaks New Delhi India\u2019s youth protesters have agreed to end their weeks-old agitation \u201cin good faith\u201d after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, a big victory for the movement protesting against a series of examination paper leaks. Pradhan announced his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558411,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-558393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n