Students took to the streets across several cities in Maharashtra on Sunday, demanding transparency in the alleged NEET paper leak case and stricter accountability from the Union Government. The statewide demonstrations were organised in support of the protest held in New Delhi by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), backed by Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk.
Protests were reported from Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Bhiwandi, Nashik, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, Beed, Sindhudurg, Washim, Akola, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Amravati, Bhandara and Nandurbar. Student organisations were joined by leaders from several opposition parties at different locations.
In Pune, students assembled outside the District Collector’s office, while FTII students staged a demonstration on their campus. Protesters in Thane used street theatre to highlight the impact of examination paper leaks on students’ futures, Nagpur witnessed a peace march, and students in Parbhani observed a day-long fast.
A joint march to the Thane Collector’s Office was organised by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), the Communist Party and student groups from Thane and Bhiwandi.
Addressing the gathering, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad said the movement had been driven by students and reflected growing public dissatisfaction over the integrity of competitive examinations. He said youth movements have historically played a key role in bringing about social and political change.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray criticised the Union Government’s response to the protests, alleging that action against student demonstrators was inappropriate. He said concerns over the education system should be addressed through dialogue rather than confrontation.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule defended the Centre, claiming the protests were politically motivated and intended to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the examination controversy.
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