NEET protest spreads nationwide, opposition parties join demand for Pradhan’s resignation

The agitation over the NEET paper leak spread across multiple states after the CJP's nationwide protest call, with students, political parties and civil society groups staging demonstrations demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and condemning the July 20 police crackdown in Delhi

New Delhi: The agitation against the NEET paper leak swept several states in India on Friday, a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for nationwide demonstrations, with protesters condemning the Delhi Police crackdown on July 20 and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

With the protest intensifying across states, the Congress directed its state units to organise a candlelight march and ‘satyagraha’ in each district on Saturday evening to protest against “irregularities in the NEET and CBSE examinations and the subsequent repressive actions by the Modi government”.

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In Maharashtra’s Mumbai, thousands of protesters gathered in Dadar under the banner of Shiv Sena (UBT), with party leader Aaditya Thackeray stating that he has urged CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke not to return to Maharashtra until the demands are met.

Holding tricolours and placards in their hands, thousands of students and activists gathered at the iconic Shivaji Park ground in the Dadar area as part of a ‘Tiranga Morcha’ organised by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT). The participants raised slogans of “Azaadi (freedom) from dictatorship and paper leaks” with the national song, Vande Mataram, being played in the background.

Some of them carried posters of Bhagat Singh and Dr B R Ambedkar. In neighbouring Pune, protesters, including students, braved heavy rains as they took out a march demanding the resignation of Pradhan and denouncing the lathi-charge by Delhi Police on demonstrators.

The 4km-long-march from Shaniwarwada, an iconic 18th-century fort, to the District Collector’s office in the heart of the city was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and saw participation from students, working professionals, lawyers and members of various social organisations.

In Nagpur, the mother of a NEET aspirant who allegedly committed suicide in May addressed a protest event and sought the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pradhan. In Kolkata, the protest turned violent as clashes broke out between members of the Left students’ organisations and police personnel during a protest, prompting security forces to baton-charge and fire tear gas shells to disperse the agitators, a senior officer said.

The protesters blocked the Dorina Crossing area in the Esplanade and hurled footwear and water bottles at the men in uniform. The police were seen having a tough time trying to remove the agitators from the intersection of vital thoroughfares on a working day.

Till reports last received, the police had not managed to disperse the crowd from the region despite resorting to a mild lathi charge and even firing some tear gas shells.

Several parts of Karnataka witnessed protests and counter-protests over the NEET question paper leak, with police detaining protesters, preventing rival groups from clashing and stepping up security at multiple locations.

Student groups, Dalit organisations, Youth Congress activists and civil society groups held protests over the alleged NEET irregularities and the reported police action against students in Delhi.

Whereas, the BJP held protests against the attack on its leaders during their agitation near the Congress office in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
In Chandigarh and Kaithal, the youths were joined by farmers and activists in the demonstration against Delhi Police’s crackdown on protesters and seeking Pradhan’s resignation.

Carrying placards with slogans like ‘Take Responsibility, Save Students’, ‘Enough is Enough’, ‘Raise Your Voice’ and ‘Please Save My Future’, the protesters expressed solidarity with the youths agitating in the national capital.

The protesters gathered at Hanuman Vitak Park and then took out a procession to the District Mini Secretariat. The lawyers from the Kaithal Bar Association also staged a ‘dharna’ outside the Bar Room.

In South, several educational institutions observed a ‘bandh’ in Telangana and Andhra following a call by Left-affiliated students. The BRS also held protests seeking the resignation of Pradhan. SFI, AISF, PDSU and other Left-backed students took part in the bandh. The shutdown was successful across the state, the All India Students’ Federation said.

In Kerala, the Youth Congress activists held a protest march in Kollam in support of the CJP and student agitation in Delhi regarding the alleged irregularities in the NEET and various other exams held at the national level.

At the same time, activists of the Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, marched to the Cliff House — the official residence of the Chief Minister — in the state capital, accusing him of “double standards” by not intervening in the PSC appointment issue. In Tamil Nadu, protests against NEET continued, with hundreds of students taking part, demanding the scrapping of the national-level screening test and resignation of Pradhan.

The round-the-clock sit-in at the Balan Illam, which commenced on a small scale, gained momentum, leading to over 500 people, including film personalities, taking part in it. They even made a vain attempt to take a march to the Lok Bhavan in Guindy, but were prevented by the police.