"We Did It" — CJP celebrates as India's Education Minister resigns over exam leaks

India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, delivering a major win to youth protesters who had demanded he step down over a string of exam paper leaks. At the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke declared victory to cheering crowds.

In his resignation post, Pradhan said he wanted to prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the unrest at Jantar Mantar and across the country, expressing deep respect for the youth's aspirations. 

He announced the move on X just as police used tear gas to disperse protesters, hours before scheduled talks between demonstrators and government ministers.

Pradhan, 57, is a senior BJP figure who has held several cabinet portfolios since 2014, including education since 2021. Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had staged a 26-day hunger strike backing the movement, called the resignation a triumph of peace and perseverance.

At the protest site, celebrations broke out as demonstrators sang the national anthem and distributed sweets, with roughly 1,000 police officers standing guard. 

Authorities restricted internet access and shut several metro stations in Delhi on Saturday. Pradhan becomes only the second minister to resign amid scandal during Modi's tenure, after M.J. Akbar in 2018.