India’s youth protesters have agreed to end their weeks-old agitation “in good faith” after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, a big victory for the movement protesting against a series of examination paper leaks.
Pradhan announced his resignation on X on Saturday, just as police fired tear gas to scatter the protesters in New Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round of talks with federal ministers.
“Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, so that antinational forces do not take advantage of this situation … I have sent my resignation letter to Prime Minister [Narendra Modi],” Pradhan wrote in his post, referring to the main protest site in the capital.
Hours later, leaders of India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the satirical movement that led the protests, said they were ending their demonstrations after the government “accepted” all its demands, a CJP spokesman said.
The movement had two other demands apart from Pradhan’s sacking: financial compensation for the families of all students who died by suicide after being told to retake exams, and no punitive action against people who participated in the protests. A federal minister said the government has accepted all the demands and requested that the protest be called off.
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