Overview
- A leaked National Eligibility cum Entrance Test undergraduate paper prompted the National Testing Agency to order a re-test, triggering nationwide anger over exam integrity.
- Protests that began on July 20 in New Delhi have spread to Mumbai, Bengaluru and other cities and are being led publicly by the Cockroach Janata Party with demands for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
- Demonstrations have at times turned confrontational, with multiple reports of police using lathi-charge and tear gas to disperse crowds and footage showing injuries on both sides.
- The central government has opened a CBI probe and announced re-examinations and faster legal processes for leak cases as it seeks to restore confidence in the admissions system.
- On July 23 a wave of solidarity from top sportspersons, led by Sachin Tendulkar and Shubman Gill, amplified calls for merit, accountability and compassion and increased public focus on student distress and reported suicides tied to the controversy.