Kolkata Students March Against NEET Paper Leak, Demand Pradhan’s Resignation

Left student organisations, accompanied by members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), staged a protest march in Kolkata on Friday over the alleged NEET paper leak, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the dissolution of the National Testing Agency.

The protesters also sought justice for students who were allegedly subjected to police action during demonstrations in Delhi.

The police-authorised march began at Sealdah and proceeded towards Esplanade in central Kolkata. It formed part of a broader nationwide student campaign against alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination.

Participants carried placards and raised slogans calling for Pradhan’s removal, the disbanding of the NTA, which conducts NEET, and accountability for the alleged police excesses against protesters in the national capital.

CJP Makes Kolkata Protest Debut

The rally marked the first public participation of the CJP in Kolkata. The group had initially planned a separate march from College Square to Esplanade but joined the Left student procession after it did not receive permission for its proposed route.

Dedipya Ganguly, who identified himself as a member of the CJP, had written to Kolkata Police seeking permission to organise the rally “in solidarity with Shri Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike”.

After receiving no response from the police, the group decided late on Thursday to participate in the demonstration organised by the Left student bodies.

“We shall conduct the programme peacefully and strictly adhere to all directions issued by Kolkata Police,” Ganguly said in the email seeking permission.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Ganguly said the protest was intended to raise several demands beyond expressing solidarity with Wangchuk.

“Apart from expressing solidarity with Wangchuk’s fast, the rally will raise demands for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a judicial inquiry into the police brutality on protesters in Delhi, and compensation to families of the students who died by suicide following the NEET paper leak,” he said.

Left Groups And CJP Raise Common Demands

The CJP has been at the forefront of protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, and the Kolkata rally was organised in support of its wider campaign.

The demands raised by the Left student organisations largely mirrored those of the CJP. These included Pradhan’s resignation, the dissolution of the NTA and justice for demonstrators who were allegedly subjected to police brutality in Delhi.

The rally came days after students of Jadavpur University organised another protest march that drew hundreds of students and parents.

Participants in that demonstration had demanded examination reforms, greater accountability and Pradhan’s resignation. They had also expressed solidarity with the CJP’s Parliament march in Delhi and opposed the alleged police action against protesters.

‘This Is A Mass Movement’

Ganguly described the campaign as an open platform for students and parents but said the group would not tolerate violence or disorder during its programmes.

“We are not asking for the moon. The demands are basic. This is an open platform, and anyone can join it. But we won’t support hooliganism during a CJP rally here,” he told The Telegraph.

He said the movement had attracted students preparing for future NEET examinations as well as their families.

“This is a mass movement, and among the members on the social media platform are those preparing for their next NEET exam and their parents,” Ganguly added.

The Kolkata demonstration reflects the geographical expansion of the agitation, with demands over the NEET controversy now being raised through coordinated protests beyond Delhi.