Indian education secretary Vineet Joshi replaced amid CJP protest

A top bureaucrat has been removed from the Indian Education ministry in a first big move by the government as students across the country demand accountability over paper leaks.

Education Secretary Vineet Joshi has been replaced with Naresh Gangwar, an official government notification said late Thursday night.

Joshi, who became the Secretary in the Department of Higher Education in January 2025, has now been appointed as the Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Joshi's removal was part of a major reshuffle that included 13 appointments and four in-situ upgrades.

The reshuffle also saw TK Anil Kumar, additional secretary in the Department of Rural Development, being appointed as the secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy.

The government's move came amid massive protests by the satirical political outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties over exam paper leaks, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.