A purported resignation letter attributed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has gone viral on social media amid the ongoing nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Party, during which several clashes between protesters and police have been reported.
The viral letter claimed that Pradhan had resigned from the Union Cabinet, taking responsibility for repeated examination paper leaks, declining public trust in the examination system, and growing student distress. It further stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should also accept responsibility for the situation.
A forged letter on Ministry of Education letterhead — bearing the State Emblem and a fabricated signature of Union Education Minister Shri @dpradhanbjp — is being circulated by the FB page “Vck Sangathamizhan” (44K followers) as a genuine resignation.
Forging a Government of… pic.twitter.com/VafwzZ5PCJ
— Ananthan Ayyasamy (@AnanthAyyasamy) July 23, 2026
However, an investigation by the Press Trust of India’s (PTI) Fact Check Desk has confirmed that the document is fake.
According to PTI, the purported resignation letter was neither published on the official website of the Ministry of Education nor shared through any of its official social media handles. Similarly, no such announcement appeared on the verified social media accounts of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The fact-check also found no credible media reports confirming Pradhan’s resignation. PTI noted that any resignation by a serving Union Minister would have been widely reported by mainstream news organisations.
Top Stories of the Day – July 23, 2026 (n/10)
PTI Fact Check: Fake resignation letter of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan falsely shared amid CJP protests in Delhi
READ: https://t.co/bModL7ZvJF#PTINews #PTIPhotos #BigStories #TopStories #TopNews pic.twitter.com/ecjQl0BXHD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 23, 2026
As part of its verification, the PTI Fact Check Desk compared the viral document with an authentic official letter issued by Dharmendra Pradhan congratulating Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang after Sikkim was declared a Fully Literate State under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram.
The comparison revealed significant differences in both the official letterhead and the minister’s signature, indicating that the viral document had been fabricated.
The forged letter has been widely circulated on multiple social media platforms, including a Facebook post by the page “Vck Sangathamizhan,” which has over 44,000 followers. The post presented the fabricated document as a genuine resignation letter issued by the Union Minister.
Reacting to the circulation of the fake document, social media users pointed out that forging an official Government of India document, including the misuse of the State Emblem and fabrication of a Union Minister’s signature, constitutes a criminal offence rather than protected political expression.
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