‘Padhai aur Ladai Saath Chalegi’: Students Hold Ground in Delhi, Other Cities
Hundreds of thousands of students, many of them supported by their parents and friends, are currently protesting in various cities of India against NEET Paper Leak, and seeking accountability from the Narendra Modi government and resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
Hundreds of thousands of students, many of them supported by their parents and friends, are currently protesting in various cities of India against NEET Paper Leak, and seeking accountability from the Narendra Modi government and resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The students - under the banner of the Youth Congress and its students wing NSUI were protesting in different parts of India since last more than one month against NEET UG Paper Leak and demanding education reform and jobs.
In the meantime, students of Left backed unions like AISA and SFI, and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) led by Abhijeet Dipke and Sonam Wangchuk also started their protests with the same demand at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
These protests, however, remained symbolic till Monday July 20, 2026 when a Sansad Chalo march or Parliament March of students was thwarted by the Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF).
As the videos and images of the brutal police action against the students resonated online, the protests spread and intensified across India.
There are reports of massive ant-government demonstrations coming from various parts of India, including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Patna, Surat, Ahmadabad, Chandigarh and Lucknow even as the number of protesting students at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi continued to surge.
“Padhai and Ladai will go on simultaneously”
The students, who are holding the ground at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, are refusing to give up. They continue to stay there with placards and shouting anti-government slogans.
“Jab jab Modi darta hai, police ko aage karta hai”… “Jab Jab Modi darta hai, Hindu Muslim karta hai” (Whenever Modi gets scared, he plays the Hindu-Muslim card) are two of the most popular slogans resonating today in different parts of India, in a direct challenge to the BJP and RSS communal politics.
One of the striking features of the ongoing students’ protests is the presence of a large number of girls and women. The youngsters are coming at Jantar Mantar after their school and college hours whereas working females are reaching the venue after the office time.
A girl while talking to reporters covering the Jantar Mantar protest said she was coming at the venue continuously for the last three days. In reply to a question about the study losses due to her coming here, she said she is managing both - the studies as well as the protest.
“Yeh hamare future ka sawal hai… Padhai aur Ladai saath saath chalen ge (Our future is at stake… This fight and our studies will go simultaneously)”, she said.
When reporters asked a young girl student if she had taken permission from her parents before joining the protester, she said, “My mother has also come along with me.”
This indicated that a good number of students came to the protest site with their parents.
A woman while talking to reporters at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday said her husband is serving with the Delhi Police, despite this she was protesting here for the sake of her son’s future.
“They defamed earlier protests, No more”
A Ph D Scholar of Delhi University (DU) while talking to reporters highlighted how using communal politics the Modi government has survived the last 12 years.
“When Muslims protested, they were labeled as terrorists and Pakistanis… When farmers protested, they were termed Khalistanis… When unemployed youths protested, they were called Urban Naxals. This is how this government survived last 12 years. No more”, he said.
A mother of two, who came to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from Chhattisgarh, also expressed the similar opinion.
“I was shocked when Sonam Wangchuk was called a Chinese agent”, she said.
Among the protesters, who were seen at Jantar Mantar today and yesterday, are also those who brought flowers with them.
“You had beaten us on Sunday, right? Thank you… Take this… This is from us”, a girl-student said while offering the flowers to a Police officer.
On Monday, Ace Actor Naseeruddin Shah was seen standing at Jantar Mantar – alone and looking sad and dejected, without talking to anyone.
“Not a protest any more… It’s a revolution taking shape at Jantar Mantar”, a young girl said.
Protesters are also claiming that they were unable to access Internet.
Protests Spread to Major Cities of India
Meanwhile, the reports of protests are pouring in from different parts of India.
In Mumbai, thousands of protesters gathered at Shivaji Park in Dadar to express their protest and solidarity with the students.
Commuters were also seen raising anti-government slogans at various Railway Stations of Mumbai during the peak rush hours Thursday.
Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi had called a Maharashtra Bandh today on Thursday which ended peacefully.
Shiv Sena (UBT) has also announced protest on Friday July 24 and Sunday July 26, 206.
This is popular Gujarati Actress Jignyaa Vyas. She joined #StudentsMovement against #NEETPaperLeak Wednesday. She recited the iconic poem “Tu Zinda Hai To Zindagi Ki Jeet Mein Yaqeen Kar” as #GujaratPolice detained her at Amedadbad University. pic.twitter.com/YiU9RM8sYD
— ummid.com (@ummid) July 23, 2026
Reports of protests are also coming in from Surat, Ahmadabad and other parts of Gujarat, surprising as the state in Modi and BJP bastion.
Video of renowned Gujarati actress Jigna Vyas being detained by the Gujarat Police while she was protesting against the Modi government is widely shared on different social media platforms.
“This is Gujarati actress Jigna Vyas. Detained in protest from Ahmedabad. For any celeb, showing up in a state like Gujarat requires another level of courage (sic)”, a social media user wrote while sharing Police detention video of actress Jigna Vyas.
In a related development, Congress and leaders from other opposition parties led by LoP Rahul Gandhi Thursday went to Mahatma Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg in remembrance of the students driven to take their own lives after the NEET paper leak.
Meanwhile, in his first response after the outrage against NEET UG Paper Leak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks.
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