Dharmendra Pradhan Steps Down as Education Minister After Weeks of Student Protests at Jantar Mantar; Centre Moves to Clear the Site
On Saturday in Delhi. After more than a month of students camping out at Jantar Mantar under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP as everyone has started calling them, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation. And almost right after that, the government began taking steps to clear the protest site that had become the centre of the whole storm. It all started with the NEET-UG paper leaks and the long list of anomalies that followed. The CJP, led by Abhijeet Dipke, turned that furious into a continual sit-in at Jantar Mantar starting around mid-June. What began with a few dozen people grew into thousands. They stayed through the heat, through police action, through rounds of talks with the Centre. Their main demand was simple and stubborn: Pradhan must go. By Friday, after a second meeting at the Constitution Club, the government asked for one more day. The students said they would wait till Saturday afternoon. Then, earlier than anticipate, Pradhan posted on X. He said he was taking moral responsibility. He wrote that he did not want the protests to be used by what he called anti-national forces, and that students should be able to get back to their studies without getting stuck in legal cases or endless perturbation. The President accepted the resignation the same day on the counsel of the Prime Minister. Within hours, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi was given additional charge of the Education Ministry. Dipke told the crowd it was their first big breakthrough, though he made it clear the movement was not over. Later in the day, the CJP said they were calling off the protest “in good faith.” They had secured a few other things too — talk of compensation for families of students who died by suicide, and a promise that FIRs against protesters would be looked at. Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike in support, also ended it. Now the Centre is moving to clear Jantar Mantar. Police presence increased after the resignation announcement. There had already been tear gas earlier in the day when things got tense before the news broke. Officials want the site back to normal as quickly as possible. For the students who spent weeks living there, it feels like a rare moment when the government actually blinked. For the government, it is a way to close a chapter that was becoming politically costly and starting to spread beyond Delhi. Walking around Jantar Mantar in the days leading up to this, you could feel how personal it had become. Kids from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra — many of them first-generation students aiming for medical seats — talked about the money their parents had spent on coaching, the pressure, the feeling that one leaked paper could destroy years of work. The “cockroach” name itself started as an insult and was turned into a badge. The government, for its part, had been trying to manage the situation carefully. Talks happened, some concessions were offered, but the resignation demand stayed non-negotiable for the students. Giving Pradhan the exit and handing the portfolio to Joshi looks like an attempt to reset the conversation. Joshi is a senior leader with experience in organisation work. Whether that translates into faster reforms in the testing system is something everyone will be watching. In the end, what happened on 25 July feels like one of those moments when street pressure actually forced a ministerial change in a system that usually moves very slowly. The students are packing up, the tents will come down, and Jantar Mantar will go back to being the usual protest ground for other issues. But the questions they raised about fairness in education will not disappear with them. Sources: The Hindu, BBC News, Al Jazeera, NDTV, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, NPR, reports from July 25, 2026. @Rohit Manral
Sonam Wangchuk Says Will End Fast If Centre Spares Students From Legal Action
Right now, that’s Sonam Wangchuk for me. This gentle but incredibly strong man from Ladakh has been on a hunger strike for more than three weeks, and yesterday he reached out with such a kind, reasonable offer: he’ll stop fasting right away if the government simply promises that the young students and protesters won’t face any police cases, punishment, or trouble for speaking up about the NEET paper leak mess. Heart aches thinking about it. Wangchuk is 59, a teacher at heart, someone who’s spent his whole life trying to make things better for kids and for the fragile mountains he calls home. He’s the one behind those clever ice stupas that help store water in the desert-like cold of Ladakh. He’s built schools that actually feel like home for local children. And now he’s lying in a hospital bed in Gurugram, weak, having lost over nine kilos, living only on salt and water, all because he can’t stay quiet when young dreams are being shattered. Kids from all kinds of backgrounds, burning the midnight oil for NEET, that one big exam they believe will open doors to a doctor’s coat and a stable future for their families. Then the leaks happen, the unfairness comes out, and suddenly everything feels broken. Protests started, voices rose at places like Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and Wangchuk stood with them, starting his fast at the end of June. He wants real answers, real changes, and yes, accountability from the top. From his hospital room, after ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh visited and gently asked him to eat again, he wrote them a letter. You can almost hear his tired but steady voice in it. He thanked them for coming, for caring about his health. Then he said, simply and respectfully, that he needs a clear promise – no punitive action, no retaliation against any of the young people who joined this movement. Give that assurance, and he’ll end the fast today. No assurance, and he feels he has to continue. It’s the kind of compassion that makes you pause. He’s not fighting for himself. He’s protecting the kids who had the courage to come out and say, “This isn’t fair.” In a country where so many families pour everything into their children’s education, where coaching fees and hopes are sky-high, these leaks feel like a deep betrayal. Wangchuk is saying, let’s not punish the ones brave enough to demand better. Let’s shield them so we can fix the system together. There’s something pure about how he lives – close to the land, close to people, always thinking seven generations ahead. He’s fasted before for Ladakh’s rights and protection. It’s his way, peaceful and determined, like the elders who taught us that truth spoken gently can move mountains. His family and friends have been updating everyone, worried but proud. Other activists have joined in solidarity. Even people like Preity Zinta spoke up, asking for dialogue and reminding everyone to care for the humans involved. Right now he’s in Medanta after they moved him there when things got tough. He’s refused some treatments because he wants to stay true to his protest. The toll on his body is real – doctors talk about dehydration and weakness – but his spirit is still fighting for those students whose futures hang in the balance. This feels bigger than one man or one exam. It’s about whether our systems protect the young or scare them into silence. Wangchuk’s offer is so human: give the kids safety, and let’s move forward with honesty and repairs. Investigate properly, secure the exams, support the affected students, and rebuild trust. No more broken hearts and wasted years. An assurance like this could bring relief, calm the streets, and let healing begin. It would let Wangchuk rest, eat, and recover while the real work continues. And it would tell every student out there that their voice matters, that standing up doesn’t have to cost them everything. Sonam Wangchuk has always been about quiet strength and deep care. In these difficult days, he’s showing us again what it means to put others first. My thoughts are with him, with the students, and with all the families waiting for fairness. May wisdom prevail, and may this chapter end with kindness and justice for the young ones who deserve a chance to shine. Sources: NDTV, Rediff, BBC, and other reports from July 22, 2026, covering Wangchuk’s letter, the ministers’ visit, and the ongoing NEET protest context. @Rohit Manral