Five major student organisations in Manipur today staged a sit-in protest at Yaipha Thouni Sanglen, Keishampat, strongly condemning the police crackdown on students protesting against the NEET question paper leak and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on moral grounds.
The protest, organised jointly by the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA), Students’ Union of Kangleipak (SUK) and Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup (AIMS), was held in solidarity with the nationwide agitation led by the Congress, which has been demanding accountability over the NEET controversy.
Addressing the media, DESAM president Oinam Romesh strongly condemned what he described as the “brutal police action” against students peacefully protesting in New Delhi over the alleged NEET paper leak. He said the students were seeking justice for aspirants whose futures had been jeopardised by the examination scandal, adding that reports of students taking their own lives had further intensified public anger.
Romesh alleged that the police response reflected the attitude of the Government of India towards citizens exercising their democratic right to protest. He also cautioned political leaders against attempting to politicise what he termed a genuine movement for justice by the student community.
Protesters displayed placards carrying slogans such as “No Paper Leak, No Dark Future”, “Union Education Minister Resign”, “Truth Cannot Bleed”, and “We Stand for a Bright Future”, while reiterating their demand for transparency, accountability and protection of students’ rights.