Pune: The members of the Youth Congress on Sunday organised a protest march in the city to pay homage to the 23 students who lost their lives after the NEET paper leaked and demanded action against the recent incidents of police brutality on students during the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.They termed the protest ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ (echo of students) and marched from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue in Kothrud to Dashbhuja Ganpati Temple in Paud Phata.The Cockroach Janta Party’s protest started in the first week of June. The protest demanded accountability from the Union govt for the NEET paper leak and reforms across the educational apparatus as a whole. One of their key demands was the resignation of the Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who stepped down on July 25.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
Following the issue of police brutality on July 20 at Jantar Mantar and many other similar protests across the nation, Youth Congress agitators also sought criminal cases against police officers responsible for violating rules and suspending them.Their demands included the withdrawal of cases filed against students across the nation and called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to apologise to the nation and the students over the mismanagement of the exams.Speaking at the protest, Vishwajeet Jadhav said, “The use of force against students is unacceptable. Those responsible must be held accountable through suspension and criminal action.”A participant in the rally, Dileepsinh Deshmukh, said, “The cases registered against students across the country should be withdrawn immediately. These students were carrying out a protest in a lawful manner. Their peaceful protests should not be criminalised.”Akshay Jain, another agitator, said, “Students committed suicides after the paper leaks. Twenty-three students have lost their lives without any fault. The govt must ensure that such incidents are never repeated.”Another protester, Atharva Sonar, said the students’ demands should be accepted and resolved at the earliest. “Authorities should take responsibility for the events and deliver justice to the affected students and their families,” he said.
