Young protesters across India are determined to keep pushing the government for sweeping reforms after their demonstrations forced education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign on Saturday. The minister stepped down following nationwide outrage over the cancellation of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), India's premier medical entrance exam, after allegations surfaced that the question paper had leaked.
Nearly two million candidates were affected by the scandal, which sparked intense anger and grief across the country. Families blamed the controversy for a series of student suicides that followed the exam fiasco.
Sakhi, a 22-year-old student activist, told the BBC that the moment felt historic. "For the first time, it felt like we can make things happen through protests," she said.
Social media, particularly Instagram, became the backbone of the movement, with videos of police confrontations and arrests drawing millions of views. The demonstrations gained fresh momentum after authorities forcibly removed educator Sonam Wangchuk, who had been staging a hunger strike to demand education reforms.
Somaya Korde, another protester, warned that Pradhan's exit marks only a beginning, not an end. "This is not the end, but just the beginning.
There are larger issues to talk about, and we will talk about them," she said.
Demonstrators argue the exam scandal exposes deeper rot in India's education system, including recurring paper leaks, growing privatisation of institutions, and scarce job prospects for graduates. Official figures show youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 29 climbed to 16.2 per cent in June, up from 13.8 per cent the previous year.
Harshvardhan Kadam, an 18-year-old whose video of an alleged police threat went viral during the unrest, believes the movement has awakened young Indians to their collective power. "This is just the start.
This shows that next time the government will be scared when we raise our voices," he said.
Yet fears persist about potential retaliation against activists involved in the campaign. Authorities have filed charges against more than 100 protesters and arrested over 40 people so far.
Human Rights Watch previously documented how Indian authorities routinely target activists, journalists and peaceful protesters under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Many demonstrators nonetheless contend the protests have revived a spirit of dissent among India's youth and could reshape the country's political scene heading into future elections.
