조롱을 무기로 바꿨다..인도 Z세대, 49일 만에 장관 끌어내려 (자막뉴스) / SBS

It has been 49 days since India's teenagers and young adults—the so-called Generation Z—came together to found the Cockroach National Party (CJP) and took to the streets. They finally forced the Minister of Education out of office. They took to the streets in anger over lax management and a breakdown of fairness after questions were leaked in advance during the Indian medical school entrance exam, which was taken by 2.2 million people last May. At the time, the Minister of Education played the card of a "re-examination" to cover up the problem, and under the pressure of having to take the exam again, at least 10 examinees took their own lives. Prior to this, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India publicly insulted unemployed youths by likening them to "cockroaches." In response, they took to the streets calling themselves "cockroaches," wearing cockroach masks. This movement, which started as online satire, quickly surpassed 20 million followers. Although the government blocked internet access in some areas and even issued a ban on gatherings of five or more people, the protests only intensified. In particular, the protesters exploded when social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was staging a hunger strike, was forcibly hospitalized on the 18th. On the 20th, the opening day of the Indian Parliament, over 10,000 people gathered and headed toward the Assembly. The scale of the protests grew larger and spread beyond the capital, New Delhi, to several states in eastern and southern India. Ultimately, the government backed down. On the 25th (local time), India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced via social media that he had submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister. Minister Pradhan explained his reason for stepping down, stating that he "respects the aspirations and dreams of the youth." A heavyweight figure—a key member of Prime Minister Modi's administration and a potential leader of the ruling party—stepped down in the face of the youth's demands. The government also accepted most of the protesters' core demands, including a complete overhaul of medical school exams, punishment of those involved in corruption, the withdrawal of charges against student protesters, and compensation for the bereaved families of deceased examinees. Upon hearing the news, thousands of protesters gathered in a central square in New Delhi and shouted cheers. They celebrated their victory by sharing candy with one another, and the 30-year-old party founder declared, "We did it." This marks the first time the Modi administration, which came to power in 2014, has ousted a key figure due to pressure from public opinion. Analysis suggests that precedents from neighboring countries lie behind this move. It is believed that youth protests have successively brought down governments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal over the past few years, and that the Modi government hastily stepped down in awareness of this. (Reporting: Yeo Hyun-kyo, Video Editing: Na Hong-hee, Design: Lee Jung-ju, Production: Digital News Department) #India #MinistryOfEducation #GenerationZ Copyright Ⓒ SBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use for AI learning are prohibited.