Thousands gathered in Delhi to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, leading to clashes with police and a hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk.
New Delhi, India Jul 20, 2026 ALN: Security personnel in Delhi fired tear gas and lathi-charged protesters as thousands of demonstrators thronged the national capital to demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. At Jantar Mantar, a popular site for protests in the capital, protesters reported that several of them were injured in police action as they attempted to march to Parliament. The protests erupted following widespread dissatisfaction with the management of competitive examinations, particularly the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which is critical for students seeking admission to medical colleges across the country.
Protesters blame Pradhan for allegedly mismanaging these examinations, leading to confusion, discrepancies, and feelings of injustice among students. The NEET examination, administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), has been under scrutiny after allegations surfaced regarding a leaked question paper and subsequent irregularities in the scoring process. Students from various states, including Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, traveled to Delhi to voice their grievances, highlighting the widespread nature of the discontent.
“I’ve one demand: Dharmendra Pradhan must resign,” a protester who had traveled from Indore stated, reflecting the sentiments of many. Another protester alleged that the police asked the demonstrators “to sit down and then started the lathi-charge,” indicating a chaotic and violent response from law enforcement. A 16-year-old student who was beaten with a lathi questioned if it was his mistake to wish India well, capturing the emotional turmoil and confusion experienced by the youth caught in the fray.
The Cockroach Janta Party, the political group leading the protest, accused the police of resorting to a “brutal lathi-charge” and described the day’s events as a “black day” for democracy. This characterization of the police's actions underscores the growing tensions between the government and citizens, particularly the youth, who feel their voices are not being heard in the political arena.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk stated on Monday evening that he would continue his hunger strike, criticizing the “brutality with which peacefully protesting youth” were being dealt with in Delhi. Wangchuk, a well-known education reform activist, has positioned himself as a spokesperson for the aggrieved students and has vowed to maintain his hunger strike until youth leaders are allowed to meet with parliamentarians or until he is permitted to meet them at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. His decision to go on a hunger strike highlights the desperation felt by many students and their supporters, as they seek accountability from the government.
The Cockroach Janta Party had planned a march to Parliament to press for Pradhan’s resignation due to allegations of widespread mismanagement of competitive examinations. However, security forces implemented a multi-tiered lockdown at Parliament to prevent the protesters from breaching the premises, demonstrating the government's determination to maintain order amid rising tensions.
Members of the Cockroach Janta Party met with Union minister JP Nadda in Delhi amid the protests. Apart from Pradhan’s resignation, they demanded that Wangchuk should be released from the Safdarjung Hospital, and that compensation should be paid to the families of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test aspirants who died by suicide. This demand for compensation reflects the severe emotional and psychological toll that the examination process has taken on students and their families, further emphasizing the need for reform in the education system.
Saurav Das, a spokesperson for the political campaign, stated that despite Nadda’s assurance that no further crackdown on protesters would take place at Jantar Mantar, there were “no reports yet of police stopping.” This statement indicates a growing concern among protest leaders about the potential for further violence and suppression of dissent, raising questions about the government's approach to civil liberties and the right to protest.
The National Testing Agency has claimed that images of answer sheets from the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test that were widely shared on social media were “digitally fabricated.” The NEET-UG exam for seats in medical colleges was conducted for a second time on June 21 after the NTA cancelled the original exam held on May 3 following allegations of a question paper leak. The re-examination results were declared on July 16, but the controversy surrounding the exam did not end there. Some candidates alleged that the optical mark recognition answer sheets uploaded against their roll numbers did not belong to them, had been interchanged, or showed fewer attempted answers than they had marked, leading to accusations of further mismanagement.
The NTA stated that it examined each representation individually and found that its official records remained consistent in every case reviewed so far. However, the agency's response has done little to quell the anger and frustration among students, many of whom feel they have been treated unfairly and have lost faith in the examination process.
In a separate incident, Tripura Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar was found dead at the state police headquarters in Agartala. The 60-year-old Indian Police Services officer was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead at 12.48 pm. Preliminary reports have suggested that Dhankar may have died by suicide, although the authorities have not officially confirmed the cause of death. The police have registered a case of unnatural death and begun an investigation, which is standard protocol in such cases.
Dhankar had taken charge as Tripura’s police chief in May 2025 and had previously held several senior positions in the state police. He had also served on deputation with the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Border Security Force, highlighting a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. His sudden death has raised concerns about the pressures faced by police officials, as well as the mental health challenges that can accompany high-stress jobs in law enforcement.
The Calcutta High Court has refused to allow the Trinamool Congress to operate three bank accounts frozen by the Enforcement Directorate. Justice Krishna Rao, in an interim order, refused to lift the freeze on the TMC’s bank accounts, which has significant implications for the party's financial operations. The party had approached the High Court challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The case pertains to alleged financial irregularities, unlawful collection of money, and routing of suspected funds through certain bank accounts of the TMC, raising questions about transparency and accountability in political financing.
The refusal to unfreeze the accounts represents a significant setback for the TMC as it navigates legal challenges and seeks to maintain its political influence in West Bengal. The ongoing scrutiny of political financing and allegations of corruption underscore the broader issues facing many political parties in India, as they grapple with public trust and the demand for greater accountability.
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