Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday following weeks of nationwide student protests. A spokesperson for the protest leaders stated that demonstrators would disperse \"in good faith\" following the announcement, though some organizers indicated that additional demands remain, including compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following recent exam leaks.
The protests, led by a group called the Cockroach Janta Party, began in June after reports emerged of leaks in competitive national exams for university placement and government employment. In one instance, approximately 2 million students were required to retake a medical entrance exam. According to The Indian Express, at least 12 students died by suicide following the announcement of the retests.
In a resignation letter posted to the social media platform X, Pradhan stated he was stepping down to prevent student dissatisfaction from being utilized by \"anti-national forces.\" While Pradhan did not apologize for the exam leaks, his departure comes after he previously characterized protest leaders as a \"B team of terrorists,\" a claim reported by The Hindu. The government had faced pressure as protests expanded from New Delhi to more than a dozen cities.
Milan Vaishnav of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace stated that the resignation appeared to be an effort by the government to \"cut their losses\" after initial attempts to discredit the movement were unsuccessful. Beyond the minister's resignation, protest organizers are seeking disciplinary action against security personnel involved in clashes with marchers earlier in the week.