CJP Protest: Dharmendra Pradhan resigns as Education Minister

Earlier on Friday, July 24, a  two-member delegation from the CJP, which met two Union Ministers had reiterated their demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, asserting that the matter was non-negotiable. They also sought a public apology for the protesting students who were brutally beaten on 20 July.

During the meeting with Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, the CJP demanded £100,000 in compensation for the families of those who committed suicide following the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on 3 May, according to spokesperson Saurav Das.

The two-hour meeting, held at Vithalbhai Patel House, was aimed at finding an amicable solution to the ongoing protests regarding the NEET paper leak and wider irregularities in the examination system.

Mr Nadda stated that the Ministers listened to the demands and promised to respond to the CJP, adding that both parties would meet again on Saturday.

Mr Das explained that they clearly conveyed their three main demands both verbally and in writing. The primary, non-negotiable demand was that Dharmendra Pradhan must resign or be dismissed from the Cabinet by the government.

The second demand called for substantial compensation for every family whose child died by suicide due to the compromised NEET education system. The third demand required that all peaceful protesters who faced police brutality have their police records cleared, with a sovereign guarantee in writing that no individual will be targeted in the future.

According to Mr Das, the government responded positively to the second and third demands, accepting them in principle, which prompted the invitation for a follow-up meeting.

He added that across all protest locations, there has been a unified demand for Mr Pradhan to take accountability and step down.

The government indicated that it would consult its top leadership and report back on Saturday afternoon. This marked the third official meeting between the CJP and the government.

Mr Nadda had previously held two consecutive meetings with Mr Das and Ashutosh Ranka on 20 July at his official residence.

The CJP had earlier rejected invitations to meet at a Minister’s residence or office, insisting instead on a neutral venue for all discussions.

The CJP had maintained that its protest at Jantar Mantar will continue unabated until the Education Minister steps down.

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