Student protest is revolt against suppression, says Manjrekar

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has become the latest Indian sporting voice to back the ongoing students’ protest against exam paper leaks, calling it a “revolt against feeling of suppression in a democracy”.

In a strongly worded post on X, Manjrekar said use of force to stop the agitation will not yield results. “This isn’t just about NEET paper leaks. It’s a revolt against feeling generally suppressed in a democracy & the mainstream media’s brainwashing,” he said.

“As a father of two, I know firsthand: suppressing & brainwashing today’s youth will never work,” he added.

His comments come a day after the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, and Olympic gold-winning former shooter Abhinav Bindra called for long-lasting solutions to the problems faced by students.

The protesting students are seeking the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that his failure to act on leaks led to suicides by multiple students.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a video message addressing the students, assuring them that his government is taking a series of steps to safeguard the interest of the youth.

Modi’s outreach came three days after thousands of students took part in the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march against irregularities in the NEET exam.

During the march, police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells, injuring scores of students. Over 100 policemen were also injured while trying to stop the march.