The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has strongly condemned the police action against students during a protest in New Delhi on July 20, alleging that the use of force against peaceful demonstrators amounted to an attack on democratic rights and constitutional freedoms.
In a joint statement issued by NESO Chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa and Secretary General Mutsikhoyo Yhobu, the organisation criticised the alleged baton charge, use of tear gas and deployment of plainclothes personnel armed with lathis against students, describing the police response as excessive and deeply disturbing.
NESO accused the Government of India of responding to students’ concerns with repression instead of dialogue, stating that the issue at hand directly affects the future of millions of students and job aspirants across the country.
“The disturbing scenes of force being used against unarmed students represent an alarming assault on democratic values and the constitutional right of citizens to peacefully assemble and express their grievances,” the statement said.
The organisation said the demands raised by the protesters—including action against repeated competitive examination paper leaks and reforms to ensure transparency, accountability, fairness and integrity in the country’s examination and recruitment systems—were genuine and deserved urgent attention.
According to NESO, the aspirations and hard work of deserving students should not be undermined by systemic failures, corruption or administrative negligence. It maintained that repeated irregularities in competitive examinations have eroded public confidence in recruitment processes and have placed the future of countless young people at risk.
Expressing solidarity with the protesting students, NESO also conveyed concern for those who were injured during the police action and wished them a speedy recovery. The organisation reaffirmed its support for the students’ demand for justice and institutional reforms.
Calling for immediate intervention, NESO urged the Central government to engage with the students through sincere dialogue, address their grievances without delay, ensure accountability for the alleged excessive use of force by the police, and introduce comprehensive reforms to restore the credibility, transparency and integrity of India’s examination and recruitment systems.