India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday after weeks of student-led protests over allegations of failing to prevent leaks of medical school entrance exams.The Cockroach Janta Party, a youth movement that challenges Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of youth unemployment and educational opportunities, called for an end to the weekslong effort to oust Pradhan after the announcement was made. The protests stemmed from allegations that entrance exams to highly competitive medical schools had been leaked and sold to certain students, forcing millions to retake the tests.
Protesters participate in a demonstration demanding educational reforms as part of the Cockroach Janta Party’s ongoing protest movement in New Delhi, India, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vipin)
Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University graduate and the party’s founder, rallied tens of thousands of students and supporters in New Delhi beginning in May to force Pradhan’s resignation and demand compensation for the families of students who committed suicide after being affected by the entrance exam scandal. The group derives its name from comments made by India’s chief justice in May, who referred to unemployed Indian students as “cockroaches.” The party grew in prominence through a viral social media campaign.
