MOBILE INTERNET RESTORED, METRO STATIONS OPENED
The protesters had demanded his resignation over leaks of the national medical school entrance test paper in May, which led to the cancellation of results and a retest that affected 2 million students.
The protests also reflected growing anger in India over job scarcity and government accountability.
Pradhan’s resignation is “a victory of peace, patience & perseverance”, activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike for 26 days to support the youth movement, wrote on X.
After news of his resignation, federal authorities restored access to the mobile internet around the protest site, after blocking it for most of the week.
Delhi Metro rail stations in and around the area that were closed for much of four days this week were also opened.
“Young generation is here. This is a win for the constitution,” protester Tluanga Ralte said, walking with a copy of the Indian constitution at the protest site after Pradhan’s resignation. “We are not a lazy generation.”
Pradhan, 57, a senior member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the son of a veteran BJP leader, had been education minister since 2021.
Pradhan, who in the past was mentioned as a potential BJP president, is only the second minister to resign following a scandal since Modi came to power in 2014.
MJ Akbar resigned as junior foreign minister in October 2018 to fight allegations of sexual harassment made by more than a dozen women during India’s #MeToo movement.