Protests Demand Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation Over NEET-UG Irregularities

Students and opposition leaders are conducting widespread protests across India demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The demonstrations center on alleged irregularities and paper leaks in the 2026 NEET-UG examination, with protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi seeking Pradhan's removal and ₹1 crore in compensation for affected families.

The movement, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, has persisted in New Delhi for over a month. Leader Ashutosh Ranka described the campaign as a nationwide awakening and expressed a willingness to dialogue, though he questioned the necessity of further discussion given the clarity of the demands. Simultaneously, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee organized a rally in Guwahati led by Opposition Leader Wazed Ali Choudhury, who called for a parliamentary discussion and the withdrawal of FIRs against student protesters in Delhi.

The controversy has resurfaced Pradhan's own history as a student activist. In 1997, while serving as National Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Pradhan led 1,500 students in a protest against the Odisha government over a paper leak. While supporters view this as a mark of resilience, critics argue that systemic paper leaks continue to plague the education system under his leadership since 2021.