In an unprecedented political setback for the Narendra Modi government, sustained pressure from students, youth organisations and the Opposition forced Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign on July 25, marking the first time in the government’s 12-year tenure that a Cabinet minister stepped down following a mass public agitation.
Soon after the resignation, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had spearheaded the nationwide movement, called off its protest after a third round of negotiations with Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
The government accepted almost all of the protesters’ demands, except their call for a public apology from the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), which the demonstrators accused of using excessive force during the July 20 crackdown. Protesters alleged that the police resorted to lathi charges, tear gas and pellet guns, leaving more than 100 people injured and over 1,000 protesters detained, the majority of them reportedly belonging to the minority community.
The breakthrough was announced at a joint press conference by Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh alongside CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Hours before Pradhan’s resignation, both the CJP leadership and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had declared that nothing short of the minister’s resignation or dismissal would satisfy the country’s agitating students.
“This is democracy. He has resigned. But our struggle is not over,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said after the announcement. “Families of students who died by suicide must receive compensation of ₹1 crore each, and officers responsible for the July 20 crackdown must be held accountable. Remember– do not mess with the cockroach.”
A Protest That Outgrew Its Original Cause
The agitation, which initially focused on repeated examination paper leaks and the collapse of the education system under the Modi government, rapidly evolved into a wider expression of public anger against governance failures. After the brutal police crackdown on protesters marching towards Parliament on July 20, the movement gained unprecedented momentum.
Following talks with the government, the CJP had warned that it would launch another nationwide protest if Pradhan was not removed within one or two days.
As thousands continued to gather at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where CJP supporters had been staging a sit-in demanding education reforms and the minister’s resignation, authorities shut several Metro stations in central Delhi, suspended internet services in key areas and sealed access points to the protest site. None of these measures, however, prevented massive crowds from assembling, not only in Delhi but also in solidarity demonstrations across the country.
This victory would not have been possible without the unwavering determination and sacrifices of students and young people, supported by various sections of society, who refused to retreat despite baton charges and other repressive measures allegedly employed by the administration under the directions of the Union Government. Their courage and resilience represent a significant affirmation of India’s democratic spirit.
Despite the police crackdown, thousands returned to the streets of the national capital the very next day.
The movement began as a satirical campaign demanding accountability over examination paper leaks, and had by then transformed into one of the largest youth movements in recent Indian history.
Demonstrations spread across India, with universities holding meetings, candlelight vigils and solidarity marches, while campaign hashtags dominated social media. For many young participants, the movement had evolved beyond a single examination, reflecting deeper frustrations over repeated paper leaks, recruitment delays, unemployment and declining trust in public institutions.Political analysts observed that these broader grievances gave the agitation a resilience that extended well beyond a single administrative controversy.
The political landscape shifted dramatically following the minister Pradhan’s resignation. In 2014, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly had proudly declared that the BJP had no tradition of forcing ministers to resign or sacking them while in office. With this resignation, however, that long-standing claim was broken for the first time, marking a significant political setback for the ruling party.
CJP’s Rise
Although the CJP is not a registered political party, its satirical campaign evolved into a nationwide movement that produced one of the largest displays of public dissent against the Modi government in recent years. Thousands camped in Delhi while solidarity protests spread across India.
The movement gained additional momentum after educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly removed by police and admitted to hospital, bringing his 26-day hunger strike to an end. Public outrage intensified further after the police crackdown on protesters marching towards Parliament.
The ‘cockroach’ symbol itself emerged after a senior judge reportedly used the term while referring to unemployed young people. Protesters reclaimed the label, transforming it into a symbol of resilience, resistance and survival.
Opposition Rally behind Gen Z
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi described the students’ demands as ‘entirely legitimate’ and called Narendra Modi ‘the most anti-youth Prime Minister India has ever had’.He later led Congress MPs in a march towards the Prime Minister’s residence, demanding accountability for what he described as the brutal treatment of students.
“The government refuses to take responsibility or even allow a discussion in Parliament,” Gandhi posted on X. “The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must answer for destroying the future of India’s youth.”
Several prominent Opposition leaders,including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Priyanka Gandhi,as well as actors Prakash Raj, Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, visited the protest site to express solidarity.
What started as a protest over examination irregularities had become one of the most visible expressions of public dissent against the Modi government in recent years.
Why the Movement Resonated
Nearly 2.28 million candidates had appeared for the national medical entrance examination on May 3. The examination was subsequently cancelled following allegations of a paper leak, forcing authorities to conduct a re-test. Since then, more than 20 students have reportedly died by suicide, with their families blaming the scandal and the uncertainty surrounding the examination process.
Pradhan repeatedly rejected calls for his resignation, dismissing the CJP and its supporters as ‘the B-team of disruptive elements’. Yet the scale of public participation, the police violence and the protesters’ determination ensured that the movement remained at the centre of national attention.
The protests were driven by a fear shared by millions of young Indians: if the examinations that determine their future cannot be trusted, what can? Within weeks, the agitation had become India’s largest student mobilisation in years.
Unlike many previous protests against the Modi government – whether over citizenship laws, farm legislation or other contentious policies – the CJP movement was not rooted primarily in ideology, religion, caste or regional identity. Instead, it questioned the state’s ability to ensure fairness, transparency and merit in a system that millions of young Indians view as their principal path to social mobility.
Political observers noted that this broader appeal made the movement particularly significant. Many protesters were not traditional opponents of the BJP but aspirational young Indians and their families demanding competent governance rather than ideological confrontation.
Global Solidarity
The movement also drew support from the Indian diaspora.Solidarity demonstrations were organised in the UK, the US, Canada, Germany and Ireland. Protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London, while rallies were held in New York, Berlin and Dhaka.In Bangladesh, students organised a torchlight march in Dhaka in support of the CJP.
As the protests expanded, they increasingly reflected wider anxieties over unemployment, slowing economic growth and shrinking opportunities for young people.
One of the most powerful images of the movement emerged in Mumbai, where 27-year-old actor and English literature student Rhiya Yadav stood in front of a moving police van carrying detained protesters, refusing to move. The video quickly went viral, transforming her into a symbol of peaceful resistance.
Rhiya later said she acted instinctively after witnessing repeated detentions of peaceful demonstrators.“I was determined not to move, even if the police drove over me,” she said.
She rejected stereotypes portraying young people as apathetic, insisting that the movement remained overwhelmingly peaceful despite repeated police action.
According to a source, the legal team assisting students detained in Delhi found that, of the nearly 1,000 protesters taken into custody, more than 900 were Muslims. The source alleged that while many Hindu students were released after their personal details were recorded, a large number of Muslim students remained in custody with FIRs registered against them. The legal team expressed hope that all such FIRs would eventually be quashed.
The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a collective of former civil servants, demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the July 20 police action, including the alleged use of pellet guns and shock batons.
Expressing deep concern, the group said it was ‘deeply disturbed’ that police repression and state violence were increasingly becoming the default response to peaceful public protests and democratic dissent.
Political Reactions
Rahul Gandhi congratulated the students for compelling the Education Minister’s resignation and held Union Home Minister Amit Shah directly responsible for the police violence, alleging that the Delhi Police acted under his authority.He demanded that the Prime Minister apologise to the students and asserted that those responsible for the violence must be held accountable.
Calling Pradhan’s resignation only the beginning, Gandhi argued that the deeper crisis lay in the deterioration of India’s education system. He accused both the Modi government and the RSS of undermining educational institutions and warned that public anger would intensify if meaningful reforms were not undertaken.
The CPI(M) also congratulated students and youth for forcing accountability over repeated examination paper leaks and the deaths of more than 20 students. The party said the victory reflected the extraordinary courage and determination of young people who had faced police repression without abandoning their struggle. It also reiterated its demand for the scrapping of the NEP 2020, arguing that unless structural reforms were undertaken, similar crises would recur.
Several Muslim organisations also welcomed the development. Calling it a long-overdue step towards accountability in the wake of the NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities, Jamaat-e- Islami Hind vice presidentProf. Mohammad Salim Engineer said the resignation should have come much earlier but nonetheless acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns raised by students across the country. “It marks an important beginning towards fixing responsibility and restoring public confidence in our educational institutions,” he said.
“The determination, patience and democratic spirit shown by the youth over the past several weeks deserve appreciation,” he added.
Supreme Court Steps In
In another significant development, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two petitions challenging the July 20 police crackdown on student protesters in Delhi and other parts of the country.The petitions seek judicial scrutiny of the alleged excessive use of force by police against peaceful demonstrators.
The resignation of a Union minister may have ended one phase of the agitation. Whether it marks the beginning of deeper reforms in India’s education system – or merely a temporary political retreat – remains the larger question.