India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has submitted his resignation amid a wave of nationwide demonstrations led by student groups and opposition parties.
According to the Hindustan Times, the public backlash was triggered by a series of scandals involving the leakage of examination papers for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), India’s nationwide medical college entrance examination.
Earlier, Abhijeet Dipke, leader of the satirical political movement Cockroach Janta Party, called for the protests to continue until Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down from office.
Clashes Erupt in New Delhi
The demonstration, which initially proceeded peacefully in the Tolstoy Marg area of New Delhi, turned violent when clashes broke out between protesters and security personnel.
The incident left at least 130 police officers and 65 protesters injured.
To disperse the crowd, security forces fired tear gas after demonstrators vandalized a police outpost near the entrance to the protest site.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the establishment of a fast-track court to thoroughly investigate the individuals involved in the examination paper leak scandal.
Impact of the 2026 NEET Examination Scandal
The controversy has had a direct and severe impact on millions of prospective university students across India.
According to The Indian Express, the results of the May 2026 NEET examination have officially been annulled.
More than 10 million students have been directly affected by the cancellation, with the immense psychological pressure reportedly leading to the tragic deaths of two students, who took their own lives.
At the same time, widespread public anger and protests fueled a massive wave of digital activism across social media.
This was reflected in the rapid rise of the Cockroach Janta Party’s Instagram account, which surged to 20 million followers.
The figure unexpectedly surpassed the official Instagram account of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has 9 million followers.
The protest leader, Abhijeet Dipke (30), a graduate of Boston University in the United States, returned to India in early June to personally lead the movement in New Delhi, calling for fundamental reforms to the country’s education system.***
