CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ SAMBALPUR l sunday l july 26, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l CITY EDITION Past instances when Modi govt yielded to public pressure 2015: The first major retreat, when the government sought to amend land acquisition law to make it easier to acquire land for infrastructure and industrial projects. Triggered widespread opposition, govt forced to yield October 2018: Then MoS (External affairs) M J Akbar resigned during the ‘Me Too’ movement after several women accused him of sexual harassment during his days as an editor. Akbar denied the allegations but stepped down Union MoS Jitendra Singh, Minister J P Nadda and CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after the third round of talks held on Saturday evening | PTI November 2021: The biggest policy reversal when Modi announced repeal of the three farm laws. The laws triggered a yearlong agitation, with farmers camping at Delhi’s borders demanding their withdrawal. Law was repealed August 2024: Centre withdrew a UPSC advertisement for lateral recruitment to senior civil services after objections from opposition parties and NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) over the absence of reservation provisions April 2026: The Union government introduced the Delimitation bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026. Proposed delimitation based on 2011 Census. Increases Lok Sabha seats to 850. Was defeated on the floor of the House Mantri Pradhan out in Gen Z debut Humongous victory for satire party as govt accepted all demands; outgoing education minister says he did not want anti-national forces to exploit the situation rajesh kumar thakur Delhi @ New Delhi Pralhad Joshi gets addl charge of edu ministry Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been appointed as Education Minister following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the post on Saturday. Joshi has been given additional charge of the Education Ministry besides his role as Consumer Affairs Minister | P7 Stringent penalty for crime syndicates The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 says that individuals involved in paper leaks will get jail terms between 5-10 years, and `50 lakh fine. For organised crime, the bill carries 7 years and a fine of up to `10 crore BJP heavyweight Dharmendra Pradhan, who held on as Union education minister for 1,845 days, was brought down in the end not by an election or a scandal probe, but by a satire party named after a cockroach, coupled with a paper leak he couldn’t wriggle away . The education minister resigned on Saturday citing moral responsibility, after over a month of nationwide protests spearheaded by the CJP and triggered by the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and examination irregularities. In an open letter addressed to the youth, Pradhan said he was stepping down to protect the aspirations of India’s young people and prevent antinational forces from exploiting the situation. “India’s Yuva-Shakti is the real power of the country,” he said in his two-page resignation letter made public on X. He said the developments of the past 10 days had “saddened” him deeply and that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”. Noting that he did not want “anti-national forces” to exploit the situation, Pradhan said he wanted students to devote their time to studies and building their careers. Until late Friday evening, the government appeared to be in denial over his resignation. However, developments leading to his departure followed a reported meeting between home minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi. With the agitation gathering momentum and spreading across the country, the government reportedly decided there was no option than to seek his resignation. According to sources, Pradhan submitted his resignation to the PM o n S at u rd ay mor ning, on his own and shared it on social media in the afternoon. Patna No action will be taken against the organisers and protesters. Govt assured families of students who lost their lives of the highest possible compensation J P Nadda, Health minister Peace out for CJP protesters i f r a h m u f t i @ New Delhi AFTER 36 days of continuous protest at Jantar Mantar, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday called off its protest “with immediate effect” and asked supporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to return home. The announcement came in a joint Centre-CJP press conference in the evening, following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister. His resignation was the CJP’s central demand over the NEET paper leak. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the agitation was being withdrawn in ‘good faith and understanding that the agreed upon terms will be executed within the agreed upon timelines’. With one demand already met, the group’s spokespersons said the government assured them that police cases filed against student-protesters would be withdrawn, no action would be taken against A CJP protester celebrates after the Centre accepted their demands | PTI them in future, and maximum compensation would be given to families of students who died by suicide over the NEET-UG paper leak. “We urge all protesters to go home as the government has accepted our demands,” Saurav Das said in the presence of the two Union ministers. Ashutosh Ranka added, “The government has accepted all our demands after 36 days of protest. We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from the protest sites. Our demands were not radical but basic, and the government has now accepted them.” Policemen used loudspeakers to ask the protesters to vacate Jantar Mantar in central Delhi in the evening. The protest that had been going on for over a month had led to dwindling crowds at nearby markets that are popular with tourists and locals, as the impact of the protest went beyond traffic diversions and Metro station closures. On since June 20, the agitation galvanised lakhs of students in protests across the country with support by major opposition parties. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s first reaction after the resignation was, “Jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye (The world bends; we need someone to bend it).” Dipke however missed mentioning Sonam Wangchuk’s name in his victory speech. Majhi cites moral values, Naveen hails youth power E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation amid sustained protests triggered sharp political division in the state on Saturday, with the Opposition hailing it as a victory for democratic accountability while the ruling BJP described it as an act of moral responsibility and integrity . WITH THIS ISSUE Southern Storm PLUS 12 P AGES express read Lovlina assures India’s 2nd medal in Glasgow Chennai: Though there were seven paralifters at the Glasgow Games out which Jhandu Kumar returned with a medal by accummulating 130.9 points. Ashok finished fourth and missed out on a medal. Pugilist Lovlina Borgohain assured India their first medal when she got a bye until semifinals in boxing | P11 Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi described Pradhan’s decision to resign as one reflecting high moral values and unwavering commitment to public service. “Prioritising high moral values above all else, his decision to resign reflects his deep principle and an unwavering dedication to public service,” Majhi said. He praised Pradhan for his role in introducing the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, which he said laid a strong foundation for millions of students of the country Pradhan would continue . to achieve greater success with the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the chief minister said. Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik congratulated the country’s youth, particularly Gen-Z, saying their democratic assertion had been heard. “ Accountability and sensitivity to public opinion are inte- gral values of a strong democracy. Nobody is above the will of the people. Voices of our people, especially of the youth, deserve to be heard,” Patnaik said in a video message, adding that India’s future belongs to its youth and wished them success. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das termed Pradhan’s resignation a ‘victory for Continued on P5 democracy’.  RAF chief pulls up personnel over use of excessive force on protesters on July 20 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The chief of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has pulled up field commanders and personnel of the force over the alleged use of excessive force against protesters during the “Sansad Chalo” march on July 20. During the virtual review meeting held on Wednesday, amid mounting criticism of the force’s handling of the Jantar Mantar protest and allegations that excessive force was used, the RAF’s top leadership told officers and personnel that the force used during the July 20 march did not conform to the RAF’s prescribed crowd-control protocols and stressed that force must always be applied in a g r a d e d a n d p ro p o r t i o n at e manner. The personnel were also directed that the Projectile Attack Gun (PAG), Anti-Riot Gun (ARG), electric shock weapons and electric shields will not be used or issued to the forces deployed in the national capital until further orders. According to sources, during the internal review, all personnel were instructed to strictly follow the “Use of Force” guide- lines after assessing the nature of the crowd and the prevailing situation. Sources said the RAF leadership referred to videos on social media showing the force’s personnel “deliberately knocking down” protesters and assaulting those who were no longer part of the agitation. Operational planning for the July 20 deployment was also reviewed as sources said the RAF sector headquarters did not receive detailed information on the operational strength and deployment of individual companies for that day . Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a huge step towards reshaping our education system. Well done to students across the country. Proud of all of you Celebrations break out across the nation after the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan with the CJP chief Abhijeet Dipke (left) saying “we have...done it.” However, violence broke out in Patna during the ‘Bihar Bandh’ called over the alleged NEET paper leak | PTI/ Kevin Nashon/ Martin Louis Bengaluru Rahul Gandhi, LoP This resignation is the evidence that if you don’t get scared, don’t bend before this government, you can get their resignation Prayagraj Abhijeet Dipke, CJP CHENNAI A victory of democracy, direct democracy from the streets ... congratulations CJP, Gen Z of the nation and thank you all citizens for shedding fear Sonam Wangchuk