Youth protests force Pradhan out over exam leaks

Youth protesters celebrated across New Delhi and other cities after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday, delivering a major political victory to a movement demanding accountability for examination paper leaks and wider failures in the testing system.

Supporters of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party danced, raised slogans and waved national flags at their protest site at Jantar Mantar after Pradhan announced his departure. The group declared that “democracy wins” and called off its agitation after the government accepted key demands, including reforms to examination administration.

Pradhan’s resignation marked the first major concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government during weeks of demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes. The protests began over allegations that papers for highly competitive entrance examinations had been leaked, affecting the prospects of millions of students seeking admission to colleges and professional courses.

The movement had insisted that administrative reforms alone would not be sufficient without ministerial responsibility. Protest organisers said Pradhan had to step down because the repeated breaches had damaged public trust and imposed financial and emotional costs on candidates and their families.

Modi announced on Sunday that a high-powered task force headed by technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani would overhaul the examination system. The panel will examine the use of technology, security procedures, logistics and administrative safeguards to make tests more transparent and resistant to manipulation.

The government also plans to introduce legislation in Parliament to strengthen penalties for those involved in leaking examination papers. The proposed measures are expected to target organised networks that obtain, distribute or sell question papers before examinations.

Nilekani, a co-founder of Infosys who played a central role in developing the Aadhaar digital identity programme, will lead a six-member group that includes specialists in technology, intelligence, space research, education and public administration. The selection signals an effort to combine digital safeguards with tighter physical security at printing centres, storage facilities and examination venues.

The concessions offered to protest leaders include the withdrawal of police cases filed against demonstrators and compensation for families of students who died by suicide following examination-related distress. Authorities also agreed to consider mechanisms for faster investigation and prosecution of paper-leak cases.

The agitation intensified after tens of thousands of young people marched towards Parliament in New Delhi. Police used batons and tear gas to stop protesters, leading to injuries and widespread criticism of the handling of the demonstration.

Security restrictions affected central parts of the capital, with several metro stations temporarily closed. Demonstrations spread to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu and Ahmedabad, turning a dispute over examination integrity into a national political challenge.

Opposition lawmakers joined the protesters’ demand for Pradhan’s resignation and repeatedly disrupted proceedings in Parliament. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition figures were detained during a demonstration near the prime minister’s residence and released later.

Pradhan, 57, had served in the Union government since Modi took office in 2014 and held several senior portfolios. His political standing within the Bharatiya Janata Party initially encouraged expectations that the government would defend him, even as pressure mounted from students, parents, activists and opposition parties.

The Cockroach Janta Party began as an online satire before developing into an organised protest platform. Its irreverent slogans, artwork and social-media campaigns attracted students, young professionals and families who felt established organisations had failed to articulate their concerns.

Environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk strengthened the campaign by beginning a hunger strike on June 28. He was later moved to hospital after his health deteriorated and demanded guarantees that participants would not face retaliatory legal action.

The examination controversy expanded into a wider debate over unemployment, limited economic opportunities and the intense competition surrounding public-sector recruitment and professional education. Young candidates often spend several years and substantial family savings preparing for entrance tests, making cancellations or leaks especially damaging.

About two million candidates were affected by the medical entrance examination at the centre of the latest dispute. Protesters argued that recurring allegations of compromised papers showed that existing safeguards had failed to keep pace with organised criminal groups and digital methods of distribution.