IN BRIEF
- India's youth-led "cockroach" movement was spurred by a series of exam leaks that forced millions to retake a test.
- Since that time, the movement has consistently called for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Indian education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned, handing a major victory to youth protesters nationwide who had demanded that he quit to take responsibility for examination paper leaks.
The minister announced his resignation on Saturday just as police fired tear gas to scatter young protesters in New Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round of talks with ministers.
"Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, so that anti-national forces do not take advantage of this situation ... I have sent my resignation letter to the prime minister," Pradhan wrote in a post on X.
"I deeply respect the aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations of the country's youth."
Cheers erupted among the thousands of protesters who have been rallying in central Delhi and elsewhere as the news spread.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"We have done it," said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party that led the protests, to loud cheers at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi.
Youngsters at the site shouted "Jai Hind", a patriotic slogan meaning "Victory to India".
India's youth-led "cockroach" movement began in May after a supreme court chief justice compared some unemployed young people to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a hearing on another issue.
In early June, a series of exam leaks that forced millions to retake a gruelling, high-stakes medical entrance exam sparked the movement's first offline protests.
The protests have continued since then, but anger boiled over after police on Monday injured dozens of students, launching baton charges and firing tear gas to deter crowds of protesters marching on parliament.
Federal authorities on Saturday restricted access to the internet and to 18 metro stations to try to limit the protest in New Delhi.
In recent days, Indians in Australia have gathered in solidarity with those back home.
The protests also reflect anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability.
Despite rapid economic growth, millions of people in the world's most populous nation struggle to find stable and well-paying jobs, fuelling discontent.
According to a recent study, almost 40 per cent of India's graduates below the age of 25 are unemployed.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
