India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned, handing a big victory ⁠to youth protesters nationwide who had demanded that he quit to take responsibility for a series of examination paper leaks.

Pradhan announced his resignation on X on Saturday just as police fired tear gas to scatter the protesters in New Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round ‌of talks with federal 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 Prime Minister [Narendra Modi],” Pradhan wrote in his post.

“I deeply respect the ⁠aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations of ⁠the country’s youth.”

Pradhan said he did not want to allow tens of thousands of students calling for his resignation to be taken advantage of by “anti-national forces”. He said he did not want to see pupils become “entangled in legal complexities” instead of studying and building their careers.

Cheers erupted among the thousands of protesters who have been rallying at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area and elsewhere as the news of Pradhan quitting spread.

The demonstrators are part of a political satire movement, known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), established to channel the discontent of India’s youth, many of whom believe they have been failed by Modi and his government.

Federal authorities ⁠have restricted access to the internet and to 18 metro stations to try ⁠to limit the protest in the capital.

Advertisement

Anger ⁠has boiled over since police on Monday injured many students, launching baton charges and firing tear gas and even allaged pellet guns to deter crowds of protesters marching ‌on parliament.

In a post on X, the CJP said: “Cockroaches won.. Democracy won!”

A second round of talks between senior members of the group and the government were due to take place on Saturday. It is not clear if that meeting will still go ahead.

Talks were also held on Friday, with the government asking to be given until Saturday afternoon to respond to the demand that Pradhan quit.

The movement is also demanding that no protesters face criminal charges and that families of students who died by suicide following the exam leaks are compensated.