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Informist, Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

 

NEW DELHI - Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Saturday tendered his resignation from the Union Council of Ministers, accepting that irregularities were found in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduates 2026 conducted in May. His resignation comes amid growing nationwide protests led by social media outfit Cockroach Janta Party and Ladakh education and social activist Sonam Wangchuk, demanding the minister's resignation and reforms in the country's education system.

 

In his resignation letter, Pradhan said the government had taken immediate cognisance of the irregularities in the examination and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the case and announced fresh dates for the medical entrance test.

 

He said protests at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar over the past 10 days had hurt him and he hopes the students' cause and concerns are not used by anyone for political gains. "...deeply respect the aspirations, sentiments, and legitimate expectations of the country's youth. Realising the dreams of India's young generation has been a moral commitment in our political and social lives," he said in his resignation letter, which was posted on X.

 

Pradhan has become the first Cabinet minister in 12 years of Narendra Modi-led governments at the Centre to resign following public and opposition pressure. Over the past two days, Modi himself has taken to social media, reassuring students that the government will set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Earlier, in 2018, journalist-turned-politician M.J. Akbar had resigned as minister of state for external affairs after being accused of sexual harassment by several former media colleagues at the height of the #MeToo movement.

 

Reacting to news of Pradhan's resignation, the Cockroach Janta Party posted "Long Live Student Power" on social media platform X. "This is democracy. He has resigned. We have two more demands. We won't go like this," it further said. The outfit's founder Abhijeet Dipke said the families of students who had died by suicide following the cancellation of the examination in May must receive compensation of INR 10 million each. "And second, these police goons who acted on the 20th. Action must be taken against the police officers for that," he wrote.

 

As thousands of students began marching to Parliament Monday, the authorities came down on them hard, using batons, tear gas, and, allegedly, pellet guns to disperse the crowds. The police also destroyed the platforms set up the agitators at Jantar Mantar and removed all the tents. Notwithstanding the crackdown, the protests continued with larger crowds returning to Jantar Mantar the very next day.  End

 

Reported by Priyasmita Dutta 

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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