Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25, ending a three-month standoff between the government and student protesters over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 paper leak. The resignation followed weeks of demonstrations led by a group calling itself the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which began as an online joke and grew into one of the country’s most visible youth-led protest movements.The crisis traces back to a single exam day in May. What followed was a chain of events involving the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Supreme Court and, eventually, thousands of protesters on the streets of Delhi.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
It all started with a tutor’s comparison of a leaked PDF with the NEET-UG paper, a courtroom remark that spawned a protest party, and finally, a minister’s resignation. The events of the past three months are laid out here.The exam and the tip-offNEET-UG 2026 was conducted on May 3 across the country for admission to MBBS, BDS and allied medical courses. More than 22 lakh candidates appeared, making it India’s largest medical entrance examination.Days after the exam, Rajasthan-based tutor Shashikant Suthar said he compared a viral “guess paper” PDF with the NEET-UG 2026 paper seen by his students. He found that many questions, particularly in Chemistry, matched exactly. According to his account, he reported the matter to the NTA, the CBI and the Education Ministry. Officials began internal verification, and the probe was later handed to the CBI.Cancellation and re-testOn May 12, the NTA cancelled NEET-UG 2026 after investigators found substantial overlap between the leaked PDF and the actual paper. The government ordered a CBI probe and announced a nationwide re-test for all affected candidates. It was the first complete cancellation of NEET-UG since the NTA took over its conduct in 2019. A similar leak controversy had surfaced during NEET-UG 2024, but that exam was not cancelled nationwide.The re-examination was held on June 21 for candidates whose earlier attempt was cancelled. The NTA said almost all of the more than 22 lakh affected candidates appeared for the fresh test.A courtroom remark and a satirical partyOn May 16, during an unrelated Supreme Court hearing, a remark by Justice Surya Kant was widely interpreted online as demeaning unemployed youth. Critics accused him of comparing them to “cockroaches,” though the Court later clarified the comment was taken out of context.The same day, a student’s satirical social media post proposed a “Cockroach Janta Party” for angry, jobless aspirants. The label spread quickly online.On May 22, according to CBI remand documents and media reports, investigators arrested a school headmistress from Pune who had previously served as an NTA subject expert. She was alleged to have reconstructed questions from memory after the exam, shared them with others, and later attempted to destroy evidence.From joke to movementBy late May, a small group of student organisers, including Abhijeet Dipke, had emerged as the leading faces of the loose collective now calling itself the CJP. The satire turned into a coordinated campaign demanding accountability, examination reforms and Pradhan’s resignation.In early June, the CJP held its first major demonstrations in Delhi, with Jantar Mantar becoming the focal point. The movement began drawing in aspirants preparing for other competitive examinations as well.Late in June, senior Union ministers opened talks with student spokespersons linked to the CJP. The discussions failed to produce a breakthrough, with protesters reiterating that Pradhan’s resignation remained their central demand.On June 28, activist Sonam Wangchuk visited the protest site and announced a solidarity fast with the students, giving the movement national visibility beyond the education sector.The protests spreadBy early July, the movement had spread across several states. Student groups, opposition leaders and civil society organisations joined demonstrations demanding accountability for the examination system and reforms to public recruitment tests.On July 20, thousands of protesters attempted to march towards Parliament in Delhi. Police stopped the march, using tear gas and baton charges, and detained several demonstrators. Images of the crackdown circulated widely, drawing allegations of police brutality.On July 21, police dismantled the protest camp overnight. Demonstrators rebuilt it within hours. Many returned despite injuries from the previous day’s clashes.Over July 22 and 23, the movement continued to grow despite administrative action, including restrictions on some of its main social media channels. Student leaders accused authorities of attempting to suppress the campaign, while demonstrations continued in Delhi and other cities.Reforms announced, protests continueOn July 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced additional examination reforms in a late-night video posted on social media. The measures included fast-track courts and stricter punishments for paper-leak syndicates. He reiterated that investigations would continue.Protesters refused to end their agitation. They insisted that ministerial accountability, not administrative reforms alone, was necessary.The resignationOn July 25, Pradhan resigned. He defended the government’s handling of the crisis, citing the CBI investigation, the cancellation of the May 3 exam and the completion of the re-test. He pledged deeper reforms to restore trust in national-level examinations.In his resignation letter, Pradhan indicated that the government would work towards shifting NEET to a computer-based format from 2027, though detailed modalities are yet to be notified.At Jantar Mantar, protesters celebrated the resignation. CJP spokespersons met Union ministers Jitendra Singh and J P Nadda and announced the immediate withdrawal of protests from the site, saying they had been assured their demands would be met.
