MUMBAI: Student protesters in Mumbai welcomed the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister on Saturday but felt his exit addresses only a fraction of their concerns.“The resignation will only be counted as a 30% victory because students still lost their lives,” said Samyak Maske, 18, a Kirti College student who is preparing for NEET this year while choosing to protest.He was referring to the death by suicide of some students after the NEET paper leak.Demonstration sites in Bandra and Kalyan briefly erupted in cheers and celebration as news of the minister’s resignation spread across the internet, but Maske’s reaction reflected the general mood of youth across the city.
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“There must be greater security for major exams. I don’t know about the future, who the ministers are going to be, how they’re going to be, but this has to stop now. A fair decision has to be taken,” said Prachi Gholap, 19, of B K Birla College.“This is just a marginal victory. The system needs to be fixed. Pradhan should have resigned much earlier. His resignation has emboldened all those who believe in peaceful protests to further their genuine grievances. The time to fool people and loot their resources is over,” said Kallis Miranda, an undergraduate student.Delhi’s Akash, 20, in Mumbai for work, said, “The move feels like it was for public consolation and to make students feel like their job is done.”For others, the political development has encouraged students to have a greater voice on broader issues.“For so long we weren’t able to say anything. There was fear of speaking against the govt,” said Diya Bahenwal, 18.Social media creators who have been circulating information about student demonstrations and galvanising them to hit the streets, also said the movement’s objectives remain unfinished.Influencer Omkaar said: “This is a win that we should snowball into more.”He demanded a “to-do list,” including accountability for police violence for July 20 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, E20 petrol, the economy and the freefall of the rupee, petrol prices and the media. Influencer Arnav Shahare said, “It is a victory for all of us but we still have to demand compensation for the families that lost their kids.We still have to demand accountability from Delhi police for what they did on July 20. Now we should ask for resignations of all those incompetent ministers.”Wilson College’s Ameya Ghadiankar, 18, said, “I feel proud because it feels like we as a generation have achieved something.” (With Mohammed Wajihuddin & Pradeep Gupta)
