‘Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a milestone, but not the end: Protesters vow to continue until all demands are met

“The resignation is a victory for the student-youth movement. But, the movement must continue till all our demands are met,” the Hyderabad-based Disha Students’ Organisation said on Saturday, as political representatives, student organisations and civil society groups welcomed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation while asserting that their agitation was far from over.

While describing the Minister’s resignation as a victory for the nationwide student movement, organisations said the protests would continue until their remaining demands are addressed, including the withdrawal of criminal cases against protesters, action against police personnel accused of using excessive force during the July 20 crackdown at Jantar Mantar, and compensation for the families of students, who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak.

A solidarity gathering titled ‘Voices of Dissent’ was organised by Babasaheb Ambedkar Reading Circle, Hyderabad at the old Ambedkar statue on Saturday, July 25, with artists, students, activists and working professionals from across the country asserting that the resignation marked only the beginning of their movement and not its conclusion.

The event resonated with revolutionary songs and poetry. Protesters sang Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega, the Hindi adaptation of Bella Ciao, along with several other songs associated with people’s movements, as participants raised slogans demanding accountability and systemic reforms in the education sector.

Kavya, a 25-year-old working professional from Hyderabad, described the Minister’s resignation as a significant achievement of the student movement but said the government must now deliver on substantive reforms. “The resignation is a big achievement, but we hope the government maintains the momentum by ensuring accountability and guaranteeing transparency in the education system, especially in the conduct of examinations,” she said.

Among the participants were two friends in their early 20s who said they had been attending protests across Hyderabad over the past week. While welcoming the Minister’s resignation, they argued that deeper structural changes were needed. “The resignation by the Union Minister is definitely a big step, but the system itself has to change because there are still serious problems with the education system,” one of them said.

Responding to the development, Vijay Mallangi, spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), said the resignation was a step in the right direction but should have come much earlier. He said the movement would continue until two key demands are fulfilled: ₹1 crore in compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak and immediate disciplinary action against police personnel accused of using excessive force during the July 20 crackdown on student protesters at Jantar Mantar.

Placards carrying messages such as ‘Dissent is Democratic’ and ‘Ab Hamari Mann Ki Baat Suno’ were displayed throughout the gathering.

In a statement, the Disha Students’ Organisation said the resignation marked a milestone for the student and youth movement but insisted that the agitation would continue until all First Information Reports (FIR) registered against students and youth are withdrawn, police personnel involved in the alleged repression are suspended, and a high-level judicial inquiry is constituted.

The organisation also criticised the former Education Minister for attributing the protests to ‘anti-national elements’, contending that such remarks diverted attention from the concerns raised by students over examination paper leaks and systemic shortcomings in the education system.

Bandru Vimala, Honorary President of the Arunodaya Cultural Federation (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), described the resignation as the outcome of the sustained struggle of students and youth at Jantar Mantar and across the country. Alleging that police used excessive force during the demonstrations, she claimed that some personnel involved in the operation were not wearing nameplates while others were allegedly in plain clothes.

“This is not an ordinary matter,” Ms. Vimala said, adding that the protests had evolved into a broader civic movement with support from various sections of society, including activist Sonam Wangchuk. She said the agitation would continue until accountability is fixed and the remaining demands raised by protesters are fulfilled.