Imphal/Aizawl: Protests over alleged examination irregularities and police action against demonstrators in Delhi were held in Manipur and Mizoram, with political parties and students demanding accountability from the Centre.In Imphal, the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee led by president and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh marched from Congress Bhawan towards Lok Bhavan on Wednesday to protest the detention of Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi by Delhi Police.Police stopped the march near Kangla Gate. A Congress delegation later met governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention.Ibobi said Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior leaders were detained while leading a peaceful protest near the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday. The demonstration sought accountability over repeated paper leaks, alleged irregularities in recruitment and examinations, and police action against protesting students.The MPCC demanded Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and a detailed discussion in Parliament on examination irregularities. It also sought the withdrawal of FIRs against students involved in the Delhi protests and urged the Centre to address Manipur’s crisis and safeguard democratic values.Later, the BJP’s Manipur unit held a sit-in and march, accusing the Congress of trying to create unrest. Workers of the two parties exchanged slogans as the BJP rally passed Congress Bhawan, leading to a brief face-off.In Aizawl, hundreds of people, mostly students, staged a peaceful protest against the alleged NEET paper leak and in solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party.Organised by a group called Youth of Mizoram following a social media appeal issued the previous night, the protest drew a large turnout.Participants demanded Wangchuk’s release, Pradhan’s resignation and justice for students affected by alleged examination irregularities. They raised slogans including “Mizoram will stand with Sonam Wangchuk till the end” and “You call us cockroaches, but hear us roar.”“I came across today’s programme on social media last night. The videos of agitating students seeking justice being brutally beaten by police in Delhi motivated me to join. I still don’t know who is organising this,” a participant said.The protest received support from the ruling Zoram People’s Movement, opposition Mizo National Front and the Mizoram unit of the National Students’ Union of India.
