Published: 12:22 AM, 26 July 2026
India youth protests end
An injured teenage protester rests in her mother's lap at Jantar Mantar, a day after thousands marched on parliament over exam paper leaks in Delhi. -Reuters
India's youth protesters have agreed to end their weeks-old agitation "in good faith" after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, a big victory for the movement protesting against a series of examination paper leaks.
Pradhan 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 of talks with federal ministers, Al Jazeera reports.
"Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, so that antinational forces do not take advantage of this situation … I have sent my resignation letter to Prime Minister [Narendra Modi]," Pradhan wrote in his post, referring to the main protest site in the capital.
"I deeply respect the ?aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations of ?the country's youth."
Hours later, leaders of India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the satirical movement that led the protests, said they were ending their demonstrations after the government "accepted" all its demands, a CJP spokesman said.
"All our demands have been accepted, so we request the protesters to withdraw immediately and return home peacefully," Ashutosh Ranka said after meeting government ministers.
The movement had three other demands apart from Pradhan's 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. A federal minister said the government has accepted all the demands and requested that the protest be called off.
'Democracy won!'
"We have done it," 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.
The protesters at Jantar Mantar shouted "Jai Hind", a patriotic slogan meaning "Victory to India", as the national anthem played on loudspeakers and sweets were distributed among the ?crowd, as at least 1,000 police stood nearby.
Similar celebrations were also reported from other cities across the country.
In a post on X, the CJP said: "Cockroaches won… Democracy won!"
Pradhan's resignation is "a victory of peace, patience & perseverance," activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike for 26 days to support the Gen Z-led movement, wrote on X.
Opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi welcomed the education minister's resignation, but said those who hurt the students during the protests "have to be held accountable" and Modi must apologise for using such force.
After Pradhan's resignation, authorities restored access to the mobile internet around Jantar Mantar after blocking ?it for most of the week.
"Young generation is here. This is win for the constitution," protester Tluanga Ralte ?said, walking with a copy of the Indian constitution at the protest site after Pradhan's resignation. "We are not a lazy generation."
Anger ?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 on parliament.
Modi's 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.
Modi 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.
But the protesters said they would not relent unless the education minister resigned.
Pradhan, 57, is a senior member of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the son of a veteran BJP leader.
A 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.
The "Cockroach" protests, one of the most visible signs of public dissent against Modi's government in recent years, reflected growing anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability.
"Remember, do not mess with cockroach," CJP leader Dipke said in a statement.
