BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi against use of force to tackle student’s NEET protest

New Delhi: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, on Thursday took to social media to express concern over the ongoing protests against NEET exam-paper leak, urging that it not be “treated merely as a law-and-order issue to be tackled through the use of force”.

The standoff between activists and the Union government intensified this week after protests over widespread exam-paper leaks spilled on the streets in many parts of the country, including New Delhi.

“It is painful to see young students from different parts of the country assembled for days on the streets of New Delhi. Their anxieties and concerns regarding the examination system are genuine and must be handled with empathy and a desire to find a lasting solution,” Joshi wrote, whose HRD portfolio had then included education.

“I fervently hope that this is not treated merely as a law-and-order issue to be tackled through the use of force. It is very painful to see that even young girls were brutally mishandled,” the former BJP President said.

“Such use of force shall alienate large sections of Indian society from the national goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced the creation of fast-track courts to ensure swift punishment for those involved in the examination paper leaks.

He stressed that “nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth”, positioning the move as a decisive step to restore trust in the examination system.

Yet, critics argue that the measure only tackles the aftermath of examination paper leaks rather than addressing systemic flaws in India’s education infrastructure.

Student groups, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, have rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement as inadequate. They insist that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign, holding him directly accountable for repeated exam irregularities.

Their protests, which began in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, have now spread across major cities.

The issue has stalled the Monsoon Session of Parliament as Treasury bench members and the Opposition remain involved in a war of attrition.

The situation has escalated further with clashes between the demonstrators seeking Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and the police leading to several being injured.

The police had to resort to tear gas and baton charges when protesters marched towards the Parliament on Monday.

Opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, have joined the chorus, staging sit-ins in Parliament and accusing the Union government of shielding Education Minister Pradhan at the expense of students’ futures.

IANS