For 12 years under Narendra Modi, only one cabinet minister had ever resigned – over allegations of sexual misconduct. That changed on Saturday, when education minister Dharmendra Pradhan quit after more than a week of intense street protests, handing India’s Gen Z a rare victory.
“For the first time, it felt like we can make things happen through protests,” said Sakhi, a 22-year-old student activist in Delhi. Social media immediately seized on an old video of a senior Modi minister boasting that “resignations do not happen in our government”.
“India's education minister resigns after Gen Z protests and exam scandal—a rare victory for youth dissent under Modi.”
The protests erupted over a scandal that has shaken India’s education system. In May, NEET – the country’s biggest medical entrance exam – was cancelled after a question paper leak, forcing nearly two million students to retake the test. More than 20 students died by suicide, their families blaming the crisis.
Outrage was channelled by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online campaign born after India’s chief justice likened unemployed people with “fake and bogus degrees” to cockroaches. CJP founders staged a sit-in in Delhi, demanding Pradhan’s resignation, education reforms and compensation for the bereaved families.
Initially, the protest drew little attention. That changed on 18 July, when Delhi police forcibly removed and hospitalised hunger-striking educator Sonam Wangchuk. Two days later, tens of thousands marched on parliament at the CJP’s call. Police responded with baton charges, tear gas and pellet guns; videos of the crackdown spread online, fuelling public anger rather than suppressing it.
Somaya Korde was detained at home after urging people online to join a 20 July protest. On Instagram, Sakhi posted photos and videos of police assaults and detentions alongside mocking reels – many viewed millions of times. “The government has a hold on mainstream media, Facebook and WhatsApp. But it missed Instagram,” she said.
Sakhi says she grew up reading textbooks about the importance of dissent in a democracy, “but I did not see that around me in the Modi years”. Now, the movement’s leaders say the government has accepted all their demands. But as one student put it, “this is just the start”. Whether the protests will truly cease remains an open question.
