Odisha Congress organized a protest in Bhubaneswar against alleged irregularities in the NEET exam, urging Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down. Led by Chhatra Congress leader Bibhuti Bhushan Mohapatra, activists, supported by the NSUI, held a torchlight rally from the Pradesh Congress Committee office to the BJP state headquarters. The rally was halted by police near Banadurga Temple, leading to a tense standoff with protesters.
The demonstrators burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan during the protest. Mohapatra claimed that the cancellation of the NEET-UG exam had impacted approximately 22 lakh students. He criticized the Union government for allegedly ignoring question paper leaks in various exams over the past decade, affecting millions of students. Mohapatra also accused Dharmendra Pradhan of failing to address repeated question paper leaks during his tenure.
Alleging that the future of students was jeopardized by the mishandling of the NEET-UG exam, Mohapatra demanded the removal of the National Testing Agency (NTA) due to credibility concerns. He called for Pradhan’s resignation on moral grounds and urged his inclusion in the NEET irregularities investigation. Earlier, Mohapatra and Chhatra Congress leader Spandan Swain criticized the Centre’s handling of exam irregularities at a press conference. The Chhatra Congress vowed to continue its protest against the alleged NEET scam under NSUI President Vinod Jakhar’s leadership.
