The anger among young people was triggered by the leak of examination papers for admission to medical universities in May-the examination questions were secretly obtained and made public before the exam, giving some people unfair access to them. The results of the examination were cancelled and the government ordered a retest, affecting about two million students.

Young protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi celebrated Pradhan’s resignation.

“We achieved it,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, which led the protests.

The demonstrations were among the most significant protests to take place in India in recent years. Opposition politicians joined the youth in demanding action and also disrupted proceedings in Parliament.

In a message posted on X, Pradhan said he had resigned to prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting unrest that had persisted in different parts of the country.

He added that he deeply respected the demands, sentiments and aspirations of the country’s youth.

Pradhan, 57, was one of the senior leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. He had served as a minister since Modi came to power in 2014, heading several ministries before taking charge of the Education Ministry in 2021.