Legal Battles and Political Tension Follow India's NEET Exam Protests

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned following weeks of student led protests known as the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The movement began in early May after leaks of a question sheet for the NEET medical entrance exam. While the government promised to withdraw police cases against peaceful protesters and compensate affected families, student leaders and lawyers argue that the government is reneging on these promises. A caveat in the withdrawal orders excludes protesters with criminal antecedents, a condition that student leaders say was not part of the original negotiations. The Supreme Court of India has stated that both police and protesters will be held accountable for any violations of the law.

Parallel legal actions have targeted social media platforms. In Telangana, police registered cases against the head of Meta India and several accounts for allegedly posting objectionable content about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the protests. Similarly, Delhi Police registered a case against X for defamatory posts about the Prime Minister. These actions follow a period of intense unrest where police used tear gas and pellet guns against demonstrators in Delhi on July 20, after activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to a hospital.

Political tensions have escalated further in Telangana. BJP leaders have demanded an apology from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who allegedly described engineering students as criminal waste. Meanwhile, Congress leaders have called for the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that the government broke its agreement with students regarding the withdrawal of legal actions.