Modi Government Faces Backlash as Education Minister Resigns Over NEET Leaks

The Government of India faced escalating political pressure on July 26, 2026, following the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The resignation occurred amidst nationwide protests over NEET paper leaks, which Karnataka Minister MB Patil claimed resulted in 22 student deaths and left 150,000 students unable to take the exam.

In New Delhi, police and paramilitary forces, including the CRPF, conducted a crackdown on student demonstrators. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal reported that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was injured during the unrest, with blood visible from his nose. Venugopal demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called for Home Minister Amit Shah to explain the use of pellet balls and weapons against students. In response, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge scheduled a meeting with opposition parties to coordinate a parliamentary strategy for July 27.

To address the crisis, the central government circulated the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes fast-track courts to combat malpractices. While Suvendu Adhikari praised the bill as part of a zero-tolerance policy, he simultaneously dismissed student protesters in Kolkata as fundamentalists and goons, ordering their arrest under the Goon Suppression Act after attacks on journalists.