India’s education minister resigns after weeks of student-led protests - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reported that India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, resigned Saturday after weeks of student-led demonstrations over alleged exam paper leaks and wider irregularities in the education system. Protesters in New Delhi celebrated the announcement, which AP described as the first major concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to the recent protest wave.

According to AP, the movement calling itself the “Cockroach” movement said it was ending its protests after the government accepted its demands. The demonstrations began more than a month earlier in response to allegations involving leaks in major entrance examinations, then expanded to include concerns over education reform, unemployment, accountability and economic opportunity. AP reported that rallies, sit-ins and hunger strikes drew students, professionals, families and activists in New Delhi and other Indian cities.

Movement organizers said their remaining demands included broader education changes, compensation for families of students who died by suicide after exam leaks, and assurances that protest participants would not face legal action, AP reported. The protests were launched by the Cockroach Janta Party, whose spokesperson urged demonstrators to leave protest sites peacefully after the resignation.

The development matters because Modi’s government has generally resisted sustained street pressure during his more than 12 years in office, AP noted. The report compared the concession to the government’s 2021 reversal of controversial farm laws after a long-running farmers’ protest. Pradhan previously held other senior roles, including petroleum minister, and his departure comes amid heightened scrutiny of India’s high-stakes examination system.