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NEW DELHI — Indian Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, saying he was taking moral responsibility amid weeks of nationwide student protests over the NEET-UG examination paper leak controversy. The resignation marks the first major political concession by the Modi government following the sustained demonstrations.

In a resignation letter addressed to the country's youth, Pradhan said his decision was aimed at ensuring students' futures were not caught in prolonged legal and political disputes and to prevent "anti-national forces" from exploiting the unrest.

"To ensure that anti-national forces do not exploit the situation arising at Jantar Mantar and across the nation, that the unity of the country remains intact, that the future of no student gets tangled in legal complexities, and that our children can focus on their studies—I have submitted my resignation to the Honourable Prime Minister," Pradhan wrote.

The resignation follows more than a month of protests, hunger strikes, and demonstrations led by students and youth groups demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3. Protesters had accused authorities of failing to prevent examination paper leaks and sought sweeping reforms to India's competitive examination system.

Before stepping

down, the central government transferred the investigation into the alleged paper leak to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), cancelled the original examination, conducted a fresh test, and announced that future NEET-UG examinations would be held in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode.

In his letter, Pradhan said he had accepted responsibility from the outset and insisted that protecting deserving students remained his highest priority throughout the crisis. He thanked Prime Minister Modi for the opportunity to serve and pledged to continue working for India's education sector in the future.

Prime Minister Modi has not yet announced Pradhan's successor or issued a formal statement on the resignation.