India's 'Cockroach' movement ends protests after minister resigns

New Delhi (dpa) - Following the resignation of the Indian education minister, the "Cockroach" movement has announced the end of its protests against irregularities in the education system.

"We call on all demonstrators to go home, as the government has accepted our demands," a spokesman for the Cockroach People's Party (CJP) said after talks with government representatives in New Delhi. The protests would end with immediate effect.

Earlier, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had bowed to pressure from the movement and announced his resignation. This followed weeks of protests. 

On Saturday, too, thousands of CJP supporters had initially gathered in New Delhi.

Pradhan's resignation was a key demand of the CJP. In their view, the minister should take political responsibility for the fact that documents relating to a university entrance exam had been leaked.

Protests lead to clashes with police

Most recently, street protests in New Delhi had led to serious clashes between CJP supporters and the police.

Announcing his resignation Pradhan wrote on X: "I have great respect for the legitimate expectations of this country's youth." He said that he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The CJP was founded in May after a chief justice referred to unemployed young people as cockroaches. It describes itself as a "satirical political movement" and organizes its activities primarily online.

Observers say the protest movement has developed into a major challenge for the government, which has offered to hold talks with its representatives.

First significant concession by Modi government

Pradhan's resignation marks the first significant concession by Modi's government to one of the most visible waves of public dissent it has faced in recent years.

The government has rarely yielded to sustained public pressure during Modi's more than 12 years in office. The most notable exception came in 2021, when it was forced to withdraw controversial farm laws after a yearlong farmers' protest.

The "Cockroach" movement began more than a month ago after allegations of leaks in some of India's biggest entrance exams. 

Protest broadens

It started as a call for education reforms but grew into a broader protest over unemployment, government accountability and economic opportunities. Students, professionals, families and activists joined rallies in New Delhi and other cities across India.

Following Pradhan's resignation, movement organizers called off the protests, saying the government had accepted their remaining demands. 

Those included broader reforms to India's education system, compensation for families of students who died by suicide following exam paper leaks, and a commitment that no legal action would be taken against those who participated in the protests.

"We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from protest sites," Ashutosh Ranka. spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement, said at a news briefing in New Delhi.

News of Pradhan's resignation sparked celebrations among the thousands of protesters who have camped at New Delhi's protest site for more than a month. Many embraced each other and waved the Indian flag.

Prachi Kumar, a corporate employee who joined the protests, said Pradhan's resignation was necessary to restore accountability in the education system.

"This had to be done. Someone must be held accountable," she said.

The Cockroach Janta Party declared victory following the resignation, writing on X: "DEMOCRACY WINS!"

The demonstrations became one of the most persistent challenges to Modi's government in recent years, with thousands returning to the streets even after police used tear gas and batons to disperse marchers.

Tensions escalated on Monday when police moved to disperse thousands of protesters marching toward Parliament. Several students were injured in the crackdown, intensifying anger among demonstrators.

Government sought to ease tensions with measures against cheating

Modi's government had earlier sought to ease tensions by announcing fast-track courts for cases involving exam paper leaks and saying it would introduce legislation to strengthen measures against cheating and corruption in the examination system. The measures failed to satisfy protesters, who said they did not address government accountability. 

Opposition parties, which rallied behind the protests, said Pradhan's resignation showed the government had bowed to sustained public pressure.

Rahul Gandhi, India's main opposition leader in Parliament, called it a "major step toward revamping our education system".