International News: India’s ‘Cockroach’ youth movement ousts Education Minister as protests spread

By Zoila Palma:  India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has resigned following weeks of student-led protests over alleged examination paper leaks, marking a major political challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The protests, which began in New Delhi in early June, expanded to more than a dozen cities, with students demanding accountability over leaks affecting nationwide exams for university admissions and government jobs, NPR reports.

Following news of Pradhan’s resignation, protest spokesman Saurav Das called on demonstrators to return home, saying the movement would end “in good faith.”

However, student leaders said several demands remain unresolved, including compensation for families of students who died by suicide following the leak of a medical entrance exam paper and action against security personnel accused of attacking protesters during a march toward Parliament. Pradhan said in a letter posted on X that he was resigning because he did not want the students’ anger to be exploited by “anti-national forces,” but he did not apologize for the exam leaks.

The resignation, coming after the government initially ignored and then criticized the protesters, suggests authorities were forced to change their approach as the demonstrations grew.

Political analyst Sushant Singh said the movement has brought together young people across caste, class, religion and language, making it difficult for the government to discredit them.

The protests were also fueled by remarks attributed to India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant, who reportedly described unemployed young people as “cockroaches” in May, though he later said the comment was misquoted.

The remarks inspired protester Abhijeet Dipke to form the satirical “Cockroach Janta Party,” which became a symbol of the movement.

The post International News: India’s ‘Cockroach’ youth movement ousts Education Minister as protests spread appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.