Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns After Youth-Led NEET Protests

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25, 2026, following a month of nationwide protests over systemic corruption and paper leaks in the NEET-UG medical entrance examination. The movement was spearheaded by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke after Chief Justice Surya Kant compared unemployed youth to "cockroaches." The agitation centered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and was bolstered by activist Sonam Wangchuk, who conducted a 26-day hunger strike.

Tensions peaked on July 20 during a "Sansad Chalo" march, where Delhi Police used tear gas and pellet guns to disperse crowds, resulting in over 170 injuries. This violence, coupled with reports of at least a dozen student suicides following the May 3 leaks, intensified demands for Pradhan's removal. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi supported the protesters, labeling Pradhan a "symbol of corruption" and demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In his resignation letter, Pradhan stated he stepped down to prevent "anti-national forces" from exploiting the unrest and to protect students from "legal complexities." Following three rounds of talks with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, the CJP withdrew its agitation after the government agreed to provide compensation for suicide victims and withdraw FIRs against peaceful protesters. President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation and assigned Pralhad Joshi the additional charge of the Education Ministry. The government also pledged to implement a new anti-paper leak law and transition exams to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) format.