Bihar Police use tear gas, water cannons to stop NEET Protest march; Students demand Pradhan's resignation

The Bihar Police on Wednesday fired tear gas shells, used water cannons and baton-charged to block the ‘Lok Bhavan march’ of student leaders, who were demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak, news agency PTI reported.

The protesters, affiliated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the CPI(ML) Liberation, gathered near Gandhi Maidan, approximately three kilometres from the Governor’s residence. CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Sourav, a former AISA national general secretary, led the procession.

In a PTI video, Sourav stated their purpose was to bring the Modi government to its senses as they demanded Pradhan’s resignation, alongside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s, citing the brutal suppression of the Jantar Mantar protests. He explained that this action followed Shah’s orders to the Delhi Police. The police have yet to confirm the number of individuals detained in connection with the protests. Meanwhile, protesters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) maintained their sit-in at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. This ongoing agitation, which has spanned two months, centres on alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.