BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the lathi-charge against youth marching towards the Parliament in New Delhi on Monday.
“The aspirations of our youth are being lathi-charged while those responsible for destroying their future continue to enjoy protection. I strongly condemn the brutal use of lathis and tear gas against more than 20,000 peaceful protestors marching towards Parliament to seek justice for the victims of the NEET scandal,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress leader further said that the outrage over the NEET paper leak, the fast undertaken by Sonam Wangchuk, and the protests by students and civil society are not isolated events. They are symptoms of a government that has become increasingly insensitive to the anxieties of young Indians, he said.
A government that hesitates to answer the Opposition inside the Parliament and responds with force outside it weakens not the Opposition, but the very spirit of parliamentary democracy, he stated. “For countless students, NEET was not just an examination; it was years of sacrifice, sleepless nights, financial hardship, and the dreams of entire families. Every irregularity, every act of negligence, and every delay in accountability shatters not merely careers but faith in the institutions of our Republic. Reports of students losing hope, and even losing their lives, demand empathy and responsibility, not indifference,” he stated.
Siddaramaiah said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must accept moral responsibility and resign. A transparent, time-bound investigation must ensure justice for every NEET aspirant affected by this scandal, he stated.
“I call upon all our party leaders, workers, and youth to continue to strengthen this democratic struggle by standing firmly with NEET aspirants,” the former Chief Minister added.
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) Karnataka on Monday organised a protest at Freedom Park here in solidarity with ‘chalo sansad’ (parliament march) in Delhi. The protesters condemned the alleged police action on peaceful demonstrators in Delhi and forcible removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar.
The protest focused on examination irregularities, including the alleged NEET-UG 2026 question paper leak. AISA alleged that repeated paper leaks and examination-related irregularities in recent years had exposed serious failures in the examination system. The organisation sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the National Education Policy, and a transparent, accountable public examination system.
