‘Still a long way to go’: Mumbai marks Pradhan’s resignation with victory gathering | Mumbai News

July 26, 2026 Headlinesnews

4 min readJul 26, 2026 08:13 AM IST

As Dharmendra Pradhan tendered his resignation as the Union Education Minister on Saturday, a protest in Bandra against the NEET paper leak turned into a victory gathering, with demonstrators celebrating what they described as a significant milestone.

Huddled along Bandstand Promenade, protesters waved the Tricolour, raised copies of the Constitution, and welcomed what they termed a success. Many, however, stressed that the resignation was only the beginning of a broader push for systemic reforms in the education sector.

“Even though this moment is a huge triumph for Gen Z and civil society, there is still a long way to go. We are also awaiting a complete overhaul of the education system in line with the demands of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP),” said 18-year-old Jannat Shaikh, a first-year university student.

The celebrations also rekindled a sense of solidarity among the youth. “Everywhere you look, you find people with the same views and goals, for the betterment of society. This movement has brought the entire community together, giving people a sense of belonging and showing that the fruits of democracy can actually be reaped,” said 27-year-old Saahir, who attended the gathering with his parents and younger sibling.

Others described more nuanced experiences during the agitation. Nikhat Ansari, a second-year BA English student, said her first experience at a protest differed sharply from what she had seen on social media.“While police appeared to be detaining students left, right and centre, many quietly told us to keep sloganeering and continue raising our voices against the incumbent government,” Ansari told The Indian Express.

Saturday’s gathering, organised by the Mumbai Congress under the banner ‘Stand with Students’, was also attended by Congress MP and Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad. Addressing the crowd, she described Pradhan’s resignation as a victory for India’s youth.

“This resignation is the victory of the country’s youth and the defeat of ego. Gen Z has signalled a call for the end of dictatorship,” Gaikwad said, taking a swipe at the Union government.

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‘Withdraw FIRs against students’

Meanwhile, as student plan to gather again on Sunday in Mumbai at Dadar’s Shivaji Park for victory march, the students’ organisations plan to intensify their demand to withdraw action taken against hundreds of students who participated in various protests in Mumbai.

After calling it a remarkable victory for youngsters, Samya Korde from the Progressive Students Union (PSU) has appealed to student participants to carry the notices sent to them by Mumbai police in a plastic folder on Sunday.

“The Maharashtra government has to withdraw those FIRs against students. And for this we appeal participants to bring their notices in a plastic folder to the victory march on Sunday,” said Korde.

The Mumbai Against Suppression of Students (MASS) , a collective of various students’ organisations which led the students’ movement in Mumbai, issued a public statement demanding accountability for “suppression” of students who participated in the march held in Delhi on July 20. Apart from demanding that all action taken against students in Delhi as well as in Mumbai should be revoked, the collective has further demanded punitive action against Mumbai and Delhi police for committing brutality against students.

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Apart from multiple notices received by several young students who participated in the protests in Mumbai, student organisations have also alleged harassment of many young individuals. “A number of us received calls from Mumbai police warning us from participating in the protests. In some cases, local police reached houses of young students in attempts to intimidate them from participating in the protests. Whereas some others were asked to share live locations to instill fear,” said a member from MASS.

Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
Expertise

Senior Role: As a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, her designation reflects her seniority, specialized knowledge, and the editorial rigor applied to her reporting.

Core Authority & Specialization: Pallavi Smart is the definitive voice for Education news in the region. Her coverage scope is comprehensive:

Policy and Regulatory Changes: Reports on major shifts in educational policy, including the restructuring of entrance exams (e.g., MHT-CET adopting the JEE Main model), the draft regulatory framework for coaching classes, and revised teacher recruitment processes.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Provides in-depth reporting on prestigious institutes like IIT Bombay and TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), covering institutional initiatives, administrative debates (e.g., renaming IIT Bombay), and student welfare programs (e.g., mandatory mental health courses).

Teachers and Eligibility: Covers crucial issues affecting the teaching fraternity, such as the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers and related controversies and application numbers.

Student Welfare & Rights: Focuses on issues concerning students, including the rollout of government scholarships, the financial strain on schools due to midday meal reimbursement delays, and instances of child rights violations (e.g., the Powai studio hostage crisis).

Admissions and Vacancy: Tracks the outcome of centralized admission processes (e.g., MBBS, BPharm) and analyzes vacancy concerns, providing essential data-driven insights for parents and students.

Credentials & Trustworthiness

Dedicated Beat: Her consistent focus on the “KG to PG” education beat allows her to develop unparalleled subject matter knowledge, ensuring her reports are accurate, detailed, and contextualized.

Proactive Reporting: Her articles frequently break news on policy and institutional planning, providing the public with timely, essential information about a sector that directly impacts millions of families.

She tweets @Pallavi_Smart … Read More

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