Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned following widespread student protests over an alleged leak of the NEET-UG 2026 exam papers [3].
The resignation marks a significant escalation in the government's response to student unrest, as officials attempt to prevent the controversy from permanently damaging the futures of medical aspirants.
On Saturday, the central government entered a third round of talks [1] with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at the Constitution Club in New Delhi [5]. These discussions, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. [5], aim to resolve the demands of the CJP after protests had been ongoing for more than a month [2].
Pradhan said that the events of the past 10 days had saddened him [4]. He resigned to address the grievances of the students and mitigate the fallout from the suspected paper leak [3].
Reports on the composition of the government delegation vary. Some sources said that Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh held the talks with the CJP [2], while other reports indicated that Home Minister Amit Shah met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the negotiations proceeded [1].
The movement has drawn support from various political figures. Rahul Gandhi said, "Don't be afraid" [6].
The CJP protests have seen a broad coalition of activists and students gathering at Jantar Mantar to demand accountability, and a fair examination process. The resignation of the education minister is the first major administrative casualty of the crisis, signaling the government's urgency to stabilize the academic calendar and restore public trust in the national testing agency.
“"The events of the past 10 days have saddened me."”
The resignation of a cabinet-level minister suggests that the NEET-UG 2026 leak is viewed as a systemic failure rather than an isolated incident. By engaging in multiple rounds of talks with the Cockroach Janta Party, the Indian government is attempting to pivot from a security-led response to a negotiated settlement to avoid further civil unrest during the monsoon session of Parliament.
