Mamata Banerjee Joins Student Protests Over NEET Paper Leaks

Mamata Banerjee, president of the Trinamool Congress, announced plans to visit Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to join protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party. The demonstrations center on alleged irregularities and paper leaks regarding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), with protesters demanding education reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The movement gained momentum after a July 20 march toward Parliament ended in a violent crackdown by the Delhi Police. Banerjee accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of avoiding the protesters and claimed the BJP-led government has crossed the limits of authoritarianism. Other Trinamool Congress leaders, including MPs Mahua Moitra and Saket Gokhale, have already visited the site. Gokhale is currently collecting audiovisual evidence of the police action to pursue legal proceedings against the officers involved.

The crackdown drew widespread condemnation from public figures. Actor Shekhar Suman described the police action as an act of cruelty and brutality against unarmed children. Other Bollywood figures, including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, and Naseeruddin Shah, have urged the government to enter dialogue with the students. The protests have also been supported by educator Sonam Wangchuk, who conducted a 25-day hunger strike to advocate for reform.