Political parties, employee organisations and farmer groups on Tuesday condemned the police action against students protesting at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi over alleged paper leaks, recruitment delays and education-related issues. They accused the Centre of suppressing democratic voices instead of addressing the concerns of young people.
Sirsa MP and former Union minister Kumari Selja said the students from across the country had taken to the streets seeking justice and a transparent recruitment and examination system, but were met with police action. She alleged that the BJP government had failed to protect students’ interests and was trying to silence them through force.
Selja demanded the immediate removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for a detailed discussion in Parliament on the education system, recruitment process and examination reforms to prevent future paper leak incidents. She also accused the government of avoiding debate on issues such as unemployment, inflation, education and alleged irregularities in recruitment.
Congress district president Santosh Beniwal also criticised the police action, calling it an attack on democratic rights. She said around 26,000 teaching posts remain vacant in Haryana’s government schools, affecting the quality of education. She alleged that more than 500 government schools had been shut during the BJP government’s tenure and urged the government to expedite teacher recruitment and strengthen public education infrastructure.
Beniwal compared the police action with the handling of the 2020 farmers’ protest and said the government should engage in dialogue rather than use force. She also thanked the Sikh community at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi for assisting the protesters.
Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) district president Ashok Verma termed the lathi charge on the students “unfortunate” and demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister over repeated paper leak incidents. He said the government should hold talks with students instead of resorting to force. Verma announced that the JJP would submit a memorandum to the Sirsa Deputy Commissioner.
The Sarv Karamchari Sangh Haryana also condemned the police action, alleging that the government was spending more effort on suppressing protests than preventing paper leaks. District president Madan Lal Khoth claimed that repeated examination irregularities and unemployment had pushed millions of young people into uncertainty.
Leaders of the All-India Kisan Sabha, Hamjinder Sidhu and Abhimanyu Saharan, also criticised the police action and alleged that the Centre was responding to public demands with repression instead of dialogue. They also condemned the arrest of farmers protesting against free trade agreements.
Hansi students seek Union Edu Minister’s resignation
Students staged a protest march in Hansi on Tuesday to express solidarity with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and condemn the police action against students protesting in Delhi over the alleged NEET paper leak and education-related issues.
The march began from Ambedkar Chowk and passed through Barsi Gate and Umra Gate before concluding at Jat Dharamshala. Carrying placards, the protesters raised slogans such as “Justice for Sonam Wangchuk”, “Stop paper leaks” and “Education Minister must resign”.
Leading the protest, Nishant Tanwar alleged that Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly removed from the peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar. He also criticised the police action against students protesting over paper leaks, alleging that the use of tear gas and lathi-charge violated democratic rights.
Tanwar said students across the country were demanding transparent recruitment, fair examinations and strict action to prevent paper leaks. He urged the Centre to address these concerns instead of suppressing protests.
The protesters also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding him responsible for repeated examination irregularities.
Tanwar warned that if the government failed to take the issues seriously, the agitation would be intensified in the coming days.
A large number of students participated in the march, including Hitesh Kangra, Aman, Rohit, Raman, Amit, Vansh Rana, Sunny Duggal, Vinay and Ankit.