The Centre on Thursday announced that Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi has been swapped with Naresh Pal Gangwar, who was presently serving as the Secretary of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
The swap came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that the government will take strictest action against those responsible for paper leak.
Joshi has now been moved as the Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Rat, replacing Vivek Bhardwaj, whose tenure will conclude on July 31, according to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
The bureaucratic reshuffle comes as protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continue to gather momentum over the NEET paper leak and broader concerns around examination integrity.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for 25 days in support of protesting students, said he was willing to end his fast if the government accepted key demands, including an assurance that no force would be used against student protesters and that no false FIRs would be filed against them.
"I too want to do the same. My work is very important to me," Wangchuk said in a video message from a private hospital in Gurugram, where he was shifted after losing around 11 kilograms during the fast. However, he said he would continue the hunger strike if the assurances were not forthcoming.
He also praised students for maintaining peace despite alleged police action, saying they had endured baton charges "without retaliating."
The CJP, which has spearheaded weeks of demonstrations in New Delhi, has reiterated its core demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding him accountable for repeated examination irregularities and paper leak controversies. The group has also sought sweeping reforms to restore confidence in India's examination system.
Separately, Wangchuk has also called for Pradhan's resignation and sought compensation for families of students who allegedly died by suicide amid examination-related distress.
Following a large turnout for its Parliament march on July 20, the CJP has announced nationwide peaceful protests on July 24 under the slogan, "Every district, one day, one demand," urging student unions and civil society groups to participate in solidarity demonstrations.
The developments come after Modi, in his first public remarks on the agitation, said on X that "nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth" and vowed that those responsible for harming students' future will not be spared."
However, CJP leaders have dismissed the proposed fast-track courts as inadequate, arguing that the movement's primary demand remains political accountability, including the removal of the Education Minister, alongside systemic reforms to prevent future examination scandals.
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