Page 5 - Neet-ug

Education Minister Pradhan resigns; CJP calls it a 'win for democracy'

Citing 'deep anguish' over the ongoing protests, Dharmendra Pradhan said he has submitted his resignation to PM Modi amid sustained student agitations and mounting political pressure

Education Minister Pradhan resigns; CJP calls it a 'win for democracy'

Citing 'deep anguish' over the ongoing protests, Dharmendra Pradhan said he has submitted his resignation to PM Modi amid sustained student agitations and mounting political pressure

Anti-Neet protest enters 6th day in Tamil Nadu; doctors to join on July 28

Protests against the NEET in Tamil Nadu intensified on Saturday, with the continuous sit-in at the CPI State Headquarters (Balan Illam) in T Nagar entering its sixth day. The students have demanded the scrapping of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and action against the alleged police excesses against protesting youth in Delhi. The Students' Federation of India organised campus demonstrations at Loyola College, Presidency College and other educational institutions. Medical professionals and students across Tamil Nadu are also set to launch a coordinated statewide protest on July 28. The protest has been called by the Doctors' Association for Social Equality and the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association in solidarity with the ongoing anti-NEET demonstrations in New Delhi. As part of the agitation, demonstrations will be held outside all government medical colleges across Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, activist So

Anti-Neet protest enters 6th day in Tamil Nadu; doctors to join on July 28

Protests against the NEET in Tamil Nadu intensified on Saturday, with the continuous sit-in at the CPI State Headquarters (Balan Illam) in T Nagar entering its sixth day. The students have demanded the scrapping of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and action against the alleged police excesses against protesting youth in Delhi. The Students' Federation of India organised campus demonstrations at Loyola College, Presidency College and other educational institutions. Medical professionals and students across Tamil Nadu are also set to launch a coordinated statewide protest on July 28. The protest has been called by the Doctors' Association for Social Equality and the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association in solidarity with the ongoing anti-NEET demonstrations in New Delhi. As part of the agitation, demonstrations will be held outside all government medical colleges across Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, activist So

Delhi Police tighten security with extra barricades for weekend protests

Security arrangements have been intensified further across the national capital ahead of the weekend, with Delhi Police installing additional layers of barricades at key locations and reinforcing them with heavy-duty chains to prevent attempts to breach security cordons, officials said on Saturday. The move follows the raging protest in Delhi by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding reforms in the examination system and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, with police expecting a larger turnout of protesters through the weekend. According to police sources, multiple rows of iron barricades have been placed on the sensitive stretches in the New Delhi district, particularly in and around the Jantar Mantar protest site and other strategic locations. "Extra layers of barricading have been put in place at the vulnerable points, which have been chained together and welded so that they cannot be dismantled or shifted easily. Additional for

India's education crisis needs systemic reform, not bureaucratic reshuffles

Our education system is a destroyer of all talent by enforcing learning by rote, and then holding coaching classes to 'crack' competitive exams. And then, papers leak

Ended fast fearing crackdown like Ladakh: Wangchuk denies deal with Centre

Activist Sonam Wangchuk said he decided to end his 26-day hunger strike after receiving the Centre's written assurances because he feared an imminent crackdown on protesters and wanted to prevent violence, recalling the September 24, 2025 firing on youth in Ladakh. In a YouTube video posted late Friday night, Wangchuk dismissed allegations that he had reached a deal with the government. He emphasised that his primary goal was to ensure that students involved in the protests would not face violence or legal consequences. He explained that he did not demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during negotiations because his priority was to prevent any legal actions against protesters. Wangchuk expressed confidence that Pradhan would resign eventually. "Last night around midnight, I was told the ministers had agreed to give the assurance in writing. I was in a hurry because the situation in Delhi was such; there was apprehension that a major crackdown could happen.

Ended fast fearing crackdown like Ladakh: Wangchuk denies deal with Centre

Activist Sonam Wangchuk said he decided to end his 26-day hunger strike after receiving the Centre's written assurances because he feared an imminent crackdown on protesters and wanted to prevent violence, recalling the September 24, 2025 firing on youth in Ladakh. In a YouTube video posted late Friday night, Wangchuk dismissed allegations that he had reached a deal with the government. He emphasised that his primary goal was to ensure that students involved in the protests would not face violence or legal consequences. He explained that he did not demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during negotiations because his priority was to prevent any legal actions against protesters. Wangchuk expressed confidence that Pradhan would resign eventually. "Last night around midnight, I was told the ministers had agreed to give the assurance in writing. I was in a hurry because the situation in Delhi was such; there was apprehension that a major crackdown could happen.

Best of BS Opinion: Nationwide youth protests push govt on to the backfoot

Shyam Saran and Shekhar Gupta examine the crisis in education, R Gopalakrishnan calls for a new enterprise model, and Devangshu Datta weighs social media age bans

Student protests expose deeper flaws in India's growth and education model

The anxieties and aspirations of the youth are an opportunity for a more consequential debate on India's economic trajectory

CJP seeks Pradhan's resignation; Cabinet clears Bill for tougher punishment

The proposed law, likely to be introduced next week, comes as the Centre and CJP continue talks, with the student body reiterating its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation

CJP seeks Pradhan's resignation; Cabinet clears Bill for tougher punishment

The proposed law, likely to be introduced next week, comes as the Centre and CJP continue talks, with the student body reiterating its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation

Centre, CJP hold crucial third round of talks on exam irregularities

A crucial meeting between the representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the government was underway at the Vithalbhai Patel House here on Friday as part of efforts to find an amicable solution to the outfit's demands related to exam irregularities. While the government was represented by Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, the CJP was represented by its national spokesperson Saurav Das and another youth. This was the third official meeting between the CJP and the government. Nadda and Das, along with another CJP spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, had attended two back-to-back meetings on July 20 at the minister's residence. The meeting is taking place hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday night following government assurances on his key demands. The CJP had earlier declined the government's invitation to hold talks at a minister's residence or office, insisting that discussions should ta

Not holding Neet debate will send wrong message to country: Rijiju in LS

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday urged the Opposition to let a debate take place in the Lok Sabha over the NEET paper leak issue, asserting that any excuse made by them would send a wrong signal to the country. However, the Congress and other opposition parties continued to insist on resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Making a statement in the House, Rijiju said the government has repeatedly approached opposition parties, including the Congress, to let debate take place in Parliament. He said since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself assured people that there will be a law in place on paper leaks and that fast track courts will be set up to clear such cases, the opposition should not attach pre-conditions. The minister also noted that activist Sonam Wangchuk has broken his fast and the House should begin a debate on the subject. However, opposition members kept insisting on the resignation of Pradhan and shouted slogans like "Istifa Do" following which

Lok Sabha adjourned for 5th day as row over Neet stalls proceedings

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned further till 2 pm on Friday as Opposition parties continued to protest, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak and police action on students. As soon as proceedings resumed at 12 noon after the adjournment in the morning, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Mallikarjun Kharge once again raised the demand of Pradhan's resignation. "The Education Minister should resign," Kharge said, while NDA MPs objected to the demand. Chairman CP Radhakrishnan adjourned the proceedings until 2 pm following the pandemonium. Earlier, when the House met at 11 am, Radhakrishnan went ahead with the Zero Hour proceedings. However, there was an uproar from the Opposition benches over the police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak. When Kharge began speaking on the NEET issue, the chairman adjourned the House until 12 noon amid the din. The House has not been able to conduct any substantial

No talks until Pradhan resigns, PM apologises for students crackdown: Rahul

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that no discussion would be held with the government until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns taking accountability for exam paper leaks, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologises for the alleged police brutality against the protesting students in Delhi. Speaking in the Parliament House complex, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also claimed that he was not allowed to speak on the floor of the House. "(Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren) Rijiju ji made a statement in Lok Sabha asking Congress MPs to start a discussion. Whenever someone is named, it is normal to ask the person to respond. However, when I rose to reply to Rijiju, I was not allowed to speak, and my mike was shut," Gandhi said. The opposition and the government are in the middle of a stand-off over issues related to paper leaks, the students' protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and the police crackdown on them on the streets of the ...

SC defers NTA reforms plea to August, to monitor anti-paper leak steps

The Supreme Court is set to hear pleas seeking NTA reforms and dissolution over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, while the Delhi High Court will hear a PIL seeking an NIA probe into police action

From Gen Z to Boomers, support pours in for Jantar Mantar protest

As the protest over paper leak at Jantar Mantar entered its seventh week on Friday, the movement that began with students is increasingly drawing support from an unlikely quarter -- senior citizens, who say they have joined the agitation because the issue concerns the future of the country's youth. Amid hundreds of Gen Z protesters camping at the site, people in their 50s, 60s and even 70s were seen sitting alongside students, raising slogans, attending meetings and lending support to the demand for reforms in public examinations. Dev Nath Maurya, a 64-year-old farmer from Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli, said he travelled for nearly 12 hours with a group of around 30 people to reach the national capital. "We have not come here for today; we have come here for this country's future. These young kids are our future. What face will I show to my grandchildren when they ask what I was doing while the young ones were trying to bring education reforms?" Maurya told PTI. Ram Avtaar, also in his

List of govt assurances that led Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike

Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike after the Centre assured action on key demands, including a parliamentary discussion on paper leaks and no cases against peaceful protesters

Wangchuk ends fast after Centre's assurances; Modi promises tougher action

Sonam said that he broke his fast after receiving written assurances from the Centre that his demands would be met