Students Hold Ground As Protests Spread; Wangchuk, Rahul Gandhi Keep Pressure On Govt.

NEW DELHI – Student protesters refused to back down for a third consecutive day as demonstrations over the alleged NEET paper leak spread beyond the capital, while activist Sonam Wangchuk and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified pressure on the Centre. The government, meanwhile, signaled its willingness to debate the issue in Parliament, with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju saying they were prepared for a detailed discussion on the examination controversy and broader student concerns.

Despite the government’s outreach, Wangchuk has made it clear that he will not end his indefinite fast until the Centre provides written assurances that no legal or punitive action will be taken against students who participated in the protests.

In a letter to Nadda and Minister of State Jitendra Singh, Wangchuk thanked the two ministers for visiting him at Medanta Hospital and appealing to him to call off his fast.

According to Wangchuk, the ministers assured him that the government would consider adequate compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the examination paper leak and facilitate a meaningful discussion in Parliament on fixing accountability, including consideration of demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Wangchuk said nearly 65 Members of Parliament from across party lines had also contacted him, urging him to end his fast. “I want to live. I want to return to my students, to education, and to the work that has defined my life. But I cannot do so at the cost of the very young people for whom this movement began,” he said.

He said he would end his fast only if the government unequivocally assured that no young protesters would face retaliatory legal action for participating in the movement. He also appealed to the authorities to refrain from using excessive police force against demonstrators. “In the absence of such an assurance, I will be forced to continue my fast indefinitely,” Wangchuk wrote.

The reform activist has been fasting in solidarity with the demands raised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). He was forcibly shifted by Delhi Police from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18 after fasting for 21 days. Following a court order, he was later transferred to Medanta Hospital, where he remains under treatment. His supporters have alleged that he is under illegal detention, an allegation rejected by authorities.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also stepped up his attack on the government, wearing a black armband during a press conference at the party headquarters to symbolize solidarity with protesting students.

Gandhi said there had been 152 examination paper leaks across the country over the past decade and claimed that more than 7.5 crore middle-class families had suffered because of repeated failures in the examination system. He demanded the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that despite repeated leaks, there had been “zero convictions” over the past 10 years.

The protests have also moved beyond Delhi. Students and youth have poured in from Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and other neighboring states. In Tamil Nadu, which is a distance away from Delhi, student and youth organizations staged demonstrations in several districts in sizable numbers.

The Delhi High Court meanwhile on July 22 issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Police on petitions alleging excessive use of force during the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” march. The court directed authorities to preserve CCTV footage and other records related to the police action against protesters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also has addressed the controversy, calling for the strictest possible punishment for those responsible for the paper leak while urging opposition parties to cooperate constructively in addressing the concerns of students.

The demonstrations, sparked by allegations of irregularities in the NEET examination, have become one of the largest student-led protests in recent years. (IANS reports)