High drama unfolded in Kurukshetra on Saturday when Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers and senior Congress leaders attempted to rebuild the residence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
The demonstration, organized to protest against systemic irregularities and paper leaks in national examinations, was met with a severe police response, including the use of water cannons and lathi canisters to disperse the crowd.
The protest, led by senior Congress leader and Rohtak MP Deepinder Singh Hooda along with IYC national president Uday Bano Shib, sought to mount pressure on the central government regarding the integrity of NEET and CBSE examination processes.
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The demonstrators, carrying banners and chanting slogans, attempted to break through the multi-layered security barriers placed outside the Prime Minister’s residence.
In response, police deployed “Vajra” riot control vehicles to fire water cannons at the demonstrators. As the situation became more tense, security forces also resorted to using lathi to repel the agitators.
Speaking to the media and supporters, IYC president Uday Bano Shaib launched a scathing attack on the centre, accusing the management of complicity in the examination crisis. “For money and greed, the nation is being sold out. Until Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes action against this settlement, such movements will continue across the country,” Shipp said. He also reiterated Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for the immediate dismissal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
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Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda remained defiant despite the police action. “If the government thinks these water cannons will break our morale, they are wrong,” Hooda said. “The youth of this nation will not back down even an inch until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns and accountability for these repeated failures is determined.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday expressed concern over alleged irregularities and cases of paper leakage in competitive exams, including NEET, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking more transparency from the government and investigating agencies.
In his letter, Singh called for the publication of a white paper detailing the status of such cases over the past eight years, along with full updates on investigations, arrests, prosecutions and case closures, noting that the lack of clear public information has contributed to confusion and anxiety among students.
The cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam has caused huge distress and “wreaked havoc” on the mental health of thousands of aspirants, he said, adding that the major concern among students is the lack of clarity on how past paper leaks will be investigated.
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Quoting his letter, Singh wrote: “Dear Mr. Narendra Modi, I am writing to raise a very important concern that several students have conveyed to me in the last few weeks. At a time when the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 has wreaked havoc on the mental health of thousands of students, one of the crucial stressors for them has been the lack of clarity on how leakage of past papers, etc. will be investigated.”
He also stated that there is currently no uniform public record of cases of paper leakage and irregularities related to examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and how such cases were investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), other central and state agencies.
