The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and Bollywood personalities held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to protest against the NEET 2026 paper leak.
Protesters and Opposition leaders unitedly demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the examination irregularities.
The National Testing Agency cancelled the NEET-UG exams held on May 3 and May 7, 2026, leading to a re-examination on June 21 and a CBI probe.
Dharmendra Pradhan And NEET Paper Leaks: A Timeline
As the CJP has raised one unequivocal demand that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign, we take a look at how the Sambalpur MP faced similar heat in 2024 after alleged leaks took place in the medical entrance exam
Summary
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is staging demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over suspected fraud in the 2026 NEET examinations. The CJP, its supporters and the Opposition have raised a unified demand: "Dharmendra Pradhan Must Resign".
In response to this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed strict action against those involved in paper leaks with a video message late at night. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan faced similar heat in 2024 for issuing contradicting statements within seven days. Here is a look at what happened.
Timeline of 2024 Contradictions
Pradhan remained silent from June 4 to June 12, 2024, after the NEET-UG results were declared, an AltNews analysis showed.
"No concrete evidence of any rigging, corruption, or paper leak in the NEET exam has come to light as yet," Pradhan said in an X post to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on June 13, 2024.
His stance shifted shortly after. "Some irregularities have come to light in two places...Even if the NTA's top officials are found guilty, they will not be spared," Pradhan said on June 16, 2024.
He later cited inputs from Patna Police to downplay the crisis. "I assure you that the error is limited to a specific region," he said on June 20, 2024.
The minister admitted regional errors and announced a National Testing Agency (NTA) review committee the next day. "I take moral responsibility for this," Pradhan said on June 21, 2024, The Indian Express reported.
He reverted to a full denial while addressing Parliament soon after. "...there is no evidence of paper leak in the last seven years," Pradhan said during a Lok Sabha speech on June 23, 2024.
The 2026 Leak Response
The NTA cancelled the 2026 NEET-UG examinations held on May 3 and May 7. The agency subsequently conducted a re-examination on June 21.
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Pradhan admitted the breach during a May 15, 2026, media briefing. "We were confirmed that, under the guise of a guess paper, the actual examination questions had indeed been leaked," he said.
The CBI then began investigating the 2026 leak which has since led to multiple arrests.
Speaking about NTA-trusted teachers in a subsequent interview, Pradhan offered a sharp critique. "Rakshak hi bhakshak ban gaye," he told NDTV in an interview, referring to protectors becoming predators.
Clash With The Opposition
Escalating the ongoing protests against the Education Minister, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi held a demonstration in front of the Prime Minister's residence on July 20, 2026.
The education minister slammed the Congress leader in an X post. Pradhan accused Rahul of "shamelessly" exploiting students as "political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament".
"The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign," Pradhan said on X.
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He added that the administration remains committed to addressing youth concerns. "We owe our students more than outrage. We owe them answers, reforms and accountability," he said in the X post.
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