NEW DELHI – After nearly two months of defiant fury, Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to step down. The resignation is being hailed not merely as political setback for the ruling party, but as a humbling blow to the Modi government’s aura of invincibility.
News of resignation triggered immediate storm on social media. Cockroach Janata Party CJP declared victory on X in triumphant fashion: “The cockroaches have won, democracy has won!”, a slogan that went viral within hours.
Addressing massive crowd of protesting students, the party’s founding president, Abhijeet Deepak, issued a direct challenge to India’s rulers. “In a democracy, if you live in fear, what kind of democracy is that?” he thundered. “If you raise your voice, these people will fall in line. Keeping them in line is essential, because those who think of themselves as kings are sitting on that throne only because of us.”
This is democracy. He has resigned. We have two more demands. We won't go like this.
Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. But the families of the children who committed suicide should receive compensation of one crore rupees. They should get it.
One crore rupees compensation to all… pic.twitter.com/CyhfGDUola— Cockroach is Back (@Cockroachisback) July 25, 2026
But he made clear the fight is far from over. “Dharmendra has resigned,” Deepak said, “but we have two more demands. We are not going anywhere. Once cockroaches move in, they don’t leave.”
Protesters demand compensation of one crore rupees for the families of students who died by suicide, and formal action against the police “thugs” responsible for the crackdown on protesters and immediate withdrawal of all cases filed against student demonstrators.
This resignation did not come overnight. For nearly two months, Cockroach Janata Party had been staging sit-in at Jantar Mantar in the heart of New Delhi over the exam-paper leak scandal. During the standoff, celebrated Indian figure Sonam Wangchuk staged a 26-day hunger strike that thrust the issue into the national spotlight.
On July 20, thousands of young protesters answered the party’s call to converge on Jantar Mantar — only to be met with a brutal police crackdown involving baton charges and water cannons. Dozens were taken into custody, and police also deployed pellet guns against demonstrators. Clashes between police and protesters left more than 60 people injured.
Despite chaos, Indian PM Modi remained conspicuously silent. It was only after roughly a month and a half that he shared a video message urging the youth to call off their protest. The government also floated a proposal to set up fast-track courts to address grievances, but the determined protesters rejected it outright, refusing to back down from their central demand: the education minister’s resignation.
Indian Education Minister Pradhan quits after weeks of CJP Jantar Mantar Fury
