Cong protests over NEET paper leak; police use water cannons to stop march

Jaipur: Hundreds of Congress workers clashed with the city police at Shaheed Smarak near the Commissionerate to protest the NEET-UG 2026 exam paper leak Thursday. Police used water cannons to stop protesters from breaching the barricades as several Congress workers led by party state president Govind Singh Dotasra attempted to march towards the BJP state headquarters on Sardar Patel Marg.

Amid heavy police deployment, former minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas staged a sit-in outside the Police Commissionerate, while party MLAs and workers engaged in heated confrontations with the police officials. Police pushed back MLA Mukesh Bhakar and former MLA Ved Prakash Solanki. MLA Manish Yadav attempted to climb over the barricades and move ahead, but police personnel stopped him and brought him down.

Some Congress workers suffered minor injuries during the protest and were taken to the SMS Hospital. After the demonstration, Dotasra and Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully visited the SMS Hospital to meet the injured party workers.

Carrying posters and placards, the protesters led by Dotasra demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. During the water cannon action, party workers lifted Dotasra on their shoulders. Some youths dressed as medical students were also seen participating in the protest.

Addressing party workers before the march, Dotasra alleged that repeated irregularities in the NEET examination has eroded public trust in the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam. “The NTA should be dissolved,” he said.

Dotasra said the Centre cannot escape responsibility in the matter and demanded strict action against those involved in the paper leak. “BJP-led central and state govts cannot escape responsibility for the paper leak, as it was first exposed in Rajasthan.”

He also demanded that the investigation into the case, currently being conducted by the CBI, should take place under court supervision.

Raising concerns over the repeated NEET paper leaks over the past three years, Jully said the issue severely affected the interests of lakhs of students across the country. He alleged that BJP seniors were focused on shielding the accused, despite the first indications of the paper leak surfacing in Rajasthan. Jully further claimed that BJP-led state govt tried to suppress the matter and failed to register even a single FIR, which, he said, reflected an attempt to protect those involved.