Hangal students hold symbolic satyagraha over NEET paper leak, demand minister's resignation
Dozens of students and citizens participated in a one-day symbolic 'satyagraha' (non-violent protest) in Hangal, Haveri district, on July 23, condemning the leak of the NEET medical entrance exam paper and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protest, organized by the 'Hangal Taluk Shaiskhanika Horata Samiti', drew students as well as members of various organisations including the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Students Federation (DYSF). Local MLA Srinivas Mane also expressed solidarity at the venue in Mahatma Gandhi Circle.
The satyagraha began with the singing of the national anthem, national song, state anthem, and 'raita geete', followed by tributes to the portraits of 21 students who reportedly lost their lives due to issues related to the NEET exam.
In his introductory remarks, Samiti member Prashanth Muchchandi strongly criticised the government's failure to ensure a secure medical entrance examination, which he said had adversely affected lakhs of aspiring medical students.
More than twenty people observed a day-long fast as part of the protest. Later, Samiti office bearers including Prashanth Muchchandi, Manjunath Karjagi, and Vijaykumar Doddmani submitted a memorandum to the local tahsildar, addressed to the President of India, seeking her intervention.
The memorandum expressed solidarity with the indefinite fast of activist Sonam Wangchuk and condemned the lathi charge on protesting students in Delhi. It demanded appropriate compensation for the families of the 21 deceased students, immediate fulfilment of Wangchuk's demands, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and strict punishment for those involved in the NEET paper leak.
