“All our demands have been met, so we ask the protesters to withdraw immediately and return home peacefully,” said Ashutosh Ranka, a representative of the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), after a meeting with government ministers.
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Earlier on Saturday, India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post, whose removal due to numerous irregularities during crucial examinations had been demanded during mass protests.
“I have sent my resignation letter to the Prime Minister,” Pradhan said in a statement posted on social network X.
The “Cockroach Janta Party” led student protests that erupted in response to exam paper leaks and sought systemic reforms in the education system.
Demonstrations at the ancient Jantar Mantar observatory in central New Delhi intensified over the week and began to spread to other parts of the country.
This week, police used tear gas and batons to disperse protesters attempting to march to parliament.
The government held two rounds of talks with CJP leaders on Monday and Friday, but there was little progress, with the youth-led movement sticking to its demands ahead of another proposed meeting on Saturday.
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Pradhan announced his resignation before that long-awaited third round of talks.
“It pains me to see the events of the last 10 days. This is not a matter of personal prestige for me,” he said in his letter. “The power of India’s youth is the true strength of this nation. My resolve is that we will not allow the country’s youth to fall into a vicious circle of confusion.”
After Pradhan’s announcement, protesters erupted in joy.
“We did it,” said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, to a thunderous reaction from hundreds of protesters.
The movement evolved to include concerns about unemployment, opportunities for youth, and what critics call Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increasingly authoritarian style of governance.
The protests have become one of the biggest challenges to the Hindu nationalist Modi administration since his re-election in 2024.
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