Student organisations slam Pawan Kalyan’s remarks against protests over NEET paper leak

Student and youth organisations in Andhra Pradesh on Friday condemned Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan’s remarks against the ongoing student agitation over NEET-2026 paper leak. They demanded that Mr. Pawan Kalyan withdraw his remarks and apologise to the students.

In a joint statement, the organisations alleged that while people across the country were supporting the students’ “legitimate struggle,” the Deputy Chief Minister had chosen to criticise them instead of speaking against those responsible for the paper leak. They also condemned the police action against protesting students at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, and accused the government of attempting to suppress the movement as it gained support from intellectuals and other sections of society.

The student groups claimed that the State-wide bandh of educational institutions, called as part of the nation-wide protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, received voluntary support from the students and educational institutions across Andhra Pradesh. They criticised the detention of student leaders at several places, particularly alleging that the police in Rajamahendravaram used excessive force while arresting protesters.

The bandh was launched from PB Siddhartha College of Arts and Science at Moghalrajpuram in Vijayawada.

Student Federation of India (SFI) State secretary K. Prasanna Kumar thanked students for making the bandh a success and alleged that the Centre had jeopardised the future of lakhs of students, while suppressing those questioning it. He said the agitation would continue in phases until the Union Education Minister resigned.

All India Students’ Federation (AISF) State president G. Valaraju condemned the use of tear gas and police action against the students during the ‘Chalo Parliament’ protest in Delhi, alleging that one student was critically injured. Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State secretary G. Ramanna urged both the ruling coalition and opposition parties in the State to respond to the agitation.

Progressive Democratic Students’ Union State secretary I. Rajesh said 152 examination papers had leaked across the country over the past 14 years and called it a multi-crore racket.

After the meeting, the student and youth organisation members marched towards Lok Bhavan via Bandar Road, but the police stopped the protesters, leading to another confrontation.