Students from Kolkata, mostly from universities in and around the city, held protests on Thursday (July 23, 2026) in solidarity with the students demonstrating at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak.

A group of students from Aliah University on Thursday took out a march from their Park Circus campus against the police brutality on students during the recent demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Monday (July 20, 2026)

“We are standing with the protesting students in Delhi. This is absolutely not acceptable how the police launched a crackdown on these protesters. We all want a change in the education system. Our firm demand is Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. He has failed to do his job. This is why we are protesting today,” said a student from the rally.

Various student wings, including the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), organised rallies in several localities. They demanded Mr. Pradhan’s resignation, justice for the students who faced the police crackdown on Monday, and the immediate scrapping of the National Testing Agency.”

The development came amid a continuing student agitation in Delhi over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. The immediate trigger for the recent demonstrations across Kolkata was the brutal police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar, including educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike. On Saturday, Delhi Police removed Mr. Wangchuk from the protest site and shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital.

The movement led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an outfit that emerged from a disparaging remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on the unemployed youth, gained further momentum after protesters took out a Parliament march on Monday amid the ongoing monsoon session.

The incident triggered criticisms from the opposition parties and the students. A group of students at Jadavpur University in Kolkata led by SFI also held a protest on campus on Wednesday during which they were seen holding photos of various freedom fighters. They also read the Constitution in five languages: Bengali, English, Hindi, Nepali, and Santali in the demonstration.

Earlier, on Tuesday, a group of students in Presidency University and Calcutta Medical College also held a symbolic 12-hour hunger strike expressing solidarity with Mr. Wangchuk and the protesting Delhi students.

Meanwhile, CJP is set to hold a mega rally in Kolkata on Friday. The rally has been planned from College Square to Rani Rashmani Road for which the representatives of CJP sought a formal permission from the police.

Students’ wings affiliated with the Left parties have declared another rally on Friday, from Sealdah to Dharmatala at 2:30 p.m..

Reacting to the ongoing nationwide protests, BJP leaders in West Bengal held a press conference, stating that the demonstrations were supported by miscreants and were the outcome of a conspiracy by opposition leaders. “What do these INDIA alliance leaders want? There have been more paper leaks during their ruling in every single state. They want to create some disturbances. Some jailed leaders, miscreants, terrorists, and anti-nationals are supporting these protests. This is not the time for such low politics. Our Prime Minister has prioritised the welfare of the students and necessary actions are being taken. No such disturbances will be spared,” said Industry Minister Tapas Roy at the press conference.

Published - July 24, 2026 07:52 am IST