minister of education Dharmendra Pradhan The resignation on July 25 ended a three-month deadlock between the government and student protesters over the leaked National Eligibility and Undergraduate Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 question papers. The resignation follows weeks of demonstrations led by a group calling itself the “Cockroach Jantar Party” (CJP), which began as an online joke, has grown into one of the most high-profile youth-led protest movements in the country.The crisis can be traced back to an exam day in May. A series of incidents involving national testing agencies followed (State Administration of Taxation), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Supreme Court, and ultimately thousands of protesters on the streets of Delhi.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
It all started with a tutor comparing a leaked PDF with a NEET-UG paper, a courtroom remark that triggered a protest and ended with the resignation of a minister. Events from the past three months are listed here.Exams and TipsNEET-UG 2026 is conducted across the country on May 3 for admissions to MBBS, BDS and allied medical courses. More than 2.2 million candidates participated, making it the largest medical entrance exam in India.A few days after the exam, Rajasthan-based tutor Shashikant Suthar said he compared a viral ‘guess paper’ PDF with the NEET-UG 2026 question paper seen by students. He found that many of the problems, especially those in chemistry, were an exact match. According to him, he reported the matter to the State Board of Revenue, Confederation of Indian Industry and the Education Ministry. Officials started internal verification and the investigation was later handed over to the CBI.Cancel and retestOn May 12, NTA canceled NEET-UG 2026 after investigators found massive overlap between the leaked PDF and the actual paper. The government ordered a CBI probe and announced a nationwide retest of all affected candidates. This is the first time that NEET-UG has been completely canceled since NTA took over the NEET-UG examination in 2019. There was a similar leak controversy during NEET-UG 2024, but the exam was not canceled across the country.On June 21, retests were held for candidates whose previous exams were cancelled. The NTA said almost all of the more than 2.2 million affected candidates appeared for the new exams.Courtroom speeches and satirical partiesOn May 16, during an unrelated Supreme Court hearing, Justice Surya Kant’s remarks were widely interpreted online as disparaging unemployed youth. Critics accused him of comparing them to “cockroaches,” although a court later clarified that the comment was taken out of context.That same day, a student made a sarcastic post on social media proposing a “cockroach Jantar party” for angry unemployed graduate students. The hashtag went viral online.On May 22, based on CBI remand documents and media reports, investigators arrested a school principal from Pune who had previously worked as an NTA subject expert. She allegedly reconstructed the questions from memory after the exam, shared them with others and later tried to destroy the evidence.From jokes to actionBy the end of May, a small group of student organizers, including Abhijeet Dipke, had emerged as leaders of a loose collective that now calls itself the CJP. The satire turned into a concerted campaign demanding accountability, exam reform and Pradhan’s resignation.In early June, the CJP held its first major demonstration in Delhi, with Jantar Mantar taking center stage. The movement has also started attracting aspirants who are preparing to appear for other competitive exams.In late June, senior union ministers held talks with student spokespersons associated with the CJP. The discussions failed to achieve a breakthrough, with the protesters reiterating that Pradhan’s resignation remains their core demand.On June 28, activist Sonam Wangchuk visited the protest site and declared solidarity with students, giving the movement national visibility beyond education.Protests spreadBy early July, the movement had spread to several states. Student groups, opposition leaders and civil society organizations took part in demonstrations demanding accountability for the exam system and reform of open recruitment exams.On July 20, thousands of protesters attempted to march towards the Delhi Assembly. Police used tear gas and batons to stop the march and detained several demonstrators. Images of the crackdown were widely circulated, sparking accusations of police brutality.On July 21, the police dismantled the protest camp overnight. Demonstrators rebuilt it within hours. Many returned despite being wounded in the previous day’s clashes.The movement continued to grow despite administrative measures between July 22 and 23, including restrictions on some of its main social media channels. Student leaders accuse authorities of trying to suppress the movement, while demonstrations continue in Delhi and other cities.Reforms announced, protests continuePrime Minister Narendra Modi announced additional exam reforms in a late-night video posted on social media on July 24. The measures include fast-track courts and tougher penalties for leak groups. He reiterated that the investigation would continue.Protesters refused to end their unrest. They insist that ministerial accountability, not just administrative reform, is needed.ResignOn July 25, Pradhan resigned. He defended the government’s handling of the crisis, citing the CBI investigation, cancellation of May 3 exams and completion of re-examinations. He promised deeper reforms to restore trust in national exams.In his resignation letter, Pradhan said that the government will work to convert NEET into a computer-based format from 2027, but the exact modalities have not been notified yet.At Jantar Mantar, protesters celebrated their resignation. The CJP spokesperson met Union Ministers Jitendra Singh and JP Nadda and announced the immediate withdrawal of the protest from the venue, saying they had been assured that their demands would be met.
