Universities Warn Students Against Protests Demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation

Several Indian academic institutions, including the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, issued advisories warning students and faculty against participating in protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The University of Delhi issued its warning on July 23, followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University on July 24. Both institutions cited Supreme Court of India regulations on public demonstrations and warned that unlawful assemblies or irresponsible social media activity could lead to legal consequences and university disciplinary action.

These warnings target protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party, which are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leak. Other institutions, including IIT Roorkee, IIT Madras, and the Association of Indian Universities, issued similar directives. The demonstrations continue even after activist Sonam Wangchuk concluded a 26-day fast.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned the university advisories, accusing the institutions of threatening students for exercising their democratic rights. Gandhi demanded Pradhan's removal and called for the punishment of those who assaulted students. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a video promising stricter action against paper leaks, Gandhi dismissed the response as a pathetic midnight video.