Condemning the alleged police brutalities on students protesting over the NEET imbroglio in Delhi and demanding resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scores of students led by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Congress office-bearers staged a demonstration in Hubballi on Friday.

In the protest staged in front of KMC-RI Hospital, the police took around 15 protestors into preventive custody as some of them tried to breach the barricades and block the road.

In the protest led by president of Vidyanagar Block Congress Rajat Ullagaddimath, president of Hubballi Dharwad District Unit of Youth Congress Arjun Patil, NSUI district president Saifulla Yaragatti, and the protesting students first paid tributes to 21 students who lost their lives because of the NEET paper leak and subsequent developments.

Subsequently the protesting students staged a demonstration for some time. Addressing the protestors, the speakers alleged that because of the apathy of the Union government the future of lakhs of students was in peril. They also condemned in strong terms the lathi-charge by the Delhi police and demanded strict action on those responsible for police brutalities.

Demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and condemning the police brutalities and oppressive measures to snub the peaceful protestors, they tried to burn the effigies of Mr. Pradhan, Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah, but their attempt was foiled by the police.

The speakers demanded that Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah should resign from their posts on moral grounds. The protestors then torched old tyres as a mark of protest.

A host of Congress leaders, including president of Hubballi Dharwad District unit of Congress Altaf Halwoor, several councillors of municipal corporation, led the protest in which students from various colleges and student representatives took part along with the NSUI office-bearers.

Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar who was present at the protest site to oversee bandobast, told press persons that around 15 persons were taken into preventive custody as they tried to cross the barricades and block road.

Published - July 24, 2026 07:06 pm IST