India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned following weeks of nationwide student protests over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in major competitive examinations, including NEET-UG. The resignation was confirmed on Saturday after he submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a two-page resignation letter addressed to students and the public, Pradhan said he was stepping down to help restore public confidence, maintain national unity and prevent anti-national elements from exploiting the ongoing unrest. He also expressed hope that students would now be able to focus on their education and careers without political or legal distractions.

NEET protests grew into a nationwide movement

The protests were led by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student organisations demanding accountability over repeated examination paper leaks. Demonstrations spread across several Indian cities, while Parliament also witnessed disruptions as opposition parties backed calls for the minister's resignation.

What happens next?

The resignation is expected to pave the way for the appointment of a new Union Education Minister, while the Modi government is likely to accelerate reforms aimed at strengthening examination security and restoring trust in the country's testing system. The government has also been discussing tougher anti-paper leak legislation and broader reforms to recruitment and entrance examinations.

Political analysts say the resignation represents one of the most significant responses yet to the nationwide student movement, with attention now shifting to whether the promised reforms will be implemented and whether they can prevent future examination controversies.