India education minister resigns; youth-led protest ends after five weeks

India's Cockroach Janta Party called off its five-week-long protest on July 25, 2026, hours after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation, according to BBC reporting. The movement, an online satirical campaign with an AI-generated cockroach mascot and 26 million Instagram followers, achieved a rare major political concession from PM Modi's government.

Pradhan announced his resignation in a post in Hindi on X, stating he respected the youth's aspirations and was pained by recent events, per BBC reporting. In his statement, he cited the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country, saying his aim was preventing anti-national forces from exploiting it, preserving national unity, ensuring students' futures were not entangled in legal complexities, and allowing children to focus on studies and careers.

The Cockroach Janta Party is not a real political party but rather an online satirical campaign formed after India's chief justice described some unemployed young people turning to journalism and activism as cockroaches, later clarifying he meant those with fake and bogus degrees. The movement is led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communications strategist and former Boston University student. The CJP called for education system reforms, greater accountability over exam paper leaks, and Pradhan's resignation.

Activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protests on June 28 and began an indefinite hunger strike in support of the demands. Police forcibly removed Wangchuk from the protest site last Saturday and took him to hospital, where he continued his fast. He ended the hunger strike early Friday morning after receiving government assurances that his demands would be reviewed.

The protest gained momentum after a Monday police crackdown on marchers heading to parliament left dozens injured, per BBC reporting. Police and paramilitary forces used batons, wooden sticks, and tear gas during the action. About 300 people were taken to hospital following the crackdown, according to BBC reporting. Police said at least half of the injured were security personnel and arrested approximately 70 protesters, most of whom were later released on bail.

PM Modi broke his silence on the protests Thursday, announcing the government had decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift punishment for those involved in exam paper leaks. Opposition leaders welcomed Pradhan's resignation, with many calling it a victory for the youth-led movement. The protest represented the most visible expression of public anger against Modi's government in recent years, per BBC reporting. In 2021, Modi's government repealed agriculture laws after a year-long farmer protest. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi's government has rarely tolerated dissent and has cracked down heavily on protests.