- Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has officially resigned amid protests at Jantar Mantar
- The mood at Jantar Mantar turned emotional the moment word of the resignation reached the protest site
- CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a video on Instagram showing the moment he received the news
It's official.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has quit, over a month after a student-led protest demanding his resignation began at Jantar Mantar.
The movement, led by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), had spread from Delhi to other parts of India, with protesters citing exam irregularities and NEET paper leaks as the reason for their anger.
The mood at Jantar Mantar turned emotional the moment word of the resignation reached the protest site, the same spot where the movement started on June 20. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a video on Instagram showing the moment he received the news. Follow live updates
The 3-minute clip begins with Dipke taking a phone call as the crowd around him cheers. He then picks up the microphone and announces, "Long Live Student Power. We have done it!" a line met with loud cheers and fists raised in the air.
Speaking to the crowd of mostly young students, Dipke said resignations do not come easily under this administration, but that this moment proved otherwise. He said, "jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye" (world bows when you make it bow).
Dipke then read out, one by one, the names of students who died after the NEET paper leak, taking them from a poster he held up. He said these were the students whose lives and futures had been severely affected by the paper leak controversy.
Negotiations between the CJP and the government had reached a deadlock over the demand for Pradhan's resignation. Earlier on Saturday morning, the CJP had said there could be no further talks unless the government agreed to remove Pradhan from his post.
The protesters had three main demands:
- Resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan
- No legal action against the students who took part in the protests
- Compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the NEET paper leak
In his X post announcing his resignation, Pradhan said: "I hold deep respect for the aspirations, sentiments, and rightful expectations of the youth of this country. Realising the dreams of India's young generation has been the moral resolve of our political and social life. I express my gratitude to the Hon'ble Prime Minister for the opportunity given to me to serve the nation under his visionary leadership."
