Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan “has the blood of 17 students on his hands,” Abhijeet Dipke said, hitting back at the union minister’s “B team of disruptive elements” remark at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
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Dipke’s sharp attack at the minister came hours after Pradhan, in an interview, launched a scathing attack at the satirical outfit, which has been protesting over the NEET paper leak.
“Dharmendra Pradhan calls us terrorists. But the irony is that he is the one with the blood of more than 17 students on his hands,” Dipke wrote on X. He accused the minister of failing to address alleged irregularities in the country’s examination system.
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Pradhan, earlier, strongly criticised the protesters and accused opposition parties of exploiting the issue for political gain.
“Ye dehshatgardon ka B-team hai. Jin logon ko prajatantra ne sare se aswikar kiya.(They are the B-team of terrorists. Those whom the people rejected in a democracy),” the minister told NDTV, adding, “They have returned in disguise and are now targeting the system. They raise slogans in support of those who want to divide the country. They have been identified.”
The sharp exchange comes amid an ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, where members of the CJP, students and youth have been demonstrating for the past four days. They demand Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy and other examination-related issues.
The protest movement was led by Dipke, who first began demonstrating at Jantar Mantar on June 6. Since then, he and other student activists have travelled across different locations, urging students and citizens to join the campaign against a broken examination system.
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Protests have been held at many cities, including Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Amritsar and Jaipur. Dipke was also joined by activist Sonam Wangchuk and actor Prakash Raj.
In the Rajasthan capital, Dipke was assaulted and slapped on camera by goons who were later garlanded after being released by the police.
The controversy centres on the NEET medical entrance examination. The exam, originally conducted on May 3, was cancelled after a paper leak. The National Testing Agency (NTA) later announced a re-examination, which was held on June 21 under heightened security arrangements.
At least 17 students have died by suicide since the controversy began, Dipke says. Many of them were under immense stress following the paper leak allegations and the uncertainty surrounding the re-examination process.
At the protest site in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demonstrators have set up a memorial shrine for the deceased students. Candles are lit at the shrine as protesters pay tribute to those who lost their lives and renew their call for accountability over the examination crisis.
‘Have to fix broken system’: Pradhan
On Sunday, a 19-year-old student in Haryana’s Hisar died by suicide ahead of the re-test. Several other student deaths have also been linked to examination-related stress.
Pradhan said he felt accountable whenever students died by suicide.
“As education minister, I curse myself every time there is a student suicide. We have to fix the broken system. But the way Congress and Rahul Gandhi used student suicides is low-level politics,” he said.
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The NEET re-examination was conducted for more than two million students seeking admission to medical courses across the country. The decision to hold a fresh test came after the NTA received an email on May 8 claiming the question paper had been leaked.
The complaint reportedly highlighted similarities between a circulated “guess paper” and the actual examination paper used on May 3.
Disclaimer: Discussing suicides can be distressing for some readers. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is struggling, seek help from a mental health professional or contact a support helpline. In India, support is available through Aasra (022-2754-6669), Sneha Foundation (+91-44-24640050), Sanjivini (011-24311918), Roshni Foundation (040-66202001 / 040-66202000), One Life (78930-78930) and Seva (09441778290).
