Karnataka: Activists Burn Dharmendra Pradhan's Effigy In Mandya

Mandya (Karnataka): The protest against NEET irregularities continued in Mandya, with activists burning an effigy of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demanding his resignation.

The demonstration was held at Sanjay Circle in Mandya by the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS) and other progressive organisations. Protesters raised slogans against the Central government and voiced their anger over the issue.

During the protest, activists set fire to an effigy of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Police personnel attempted to stop them, leading to a heated exchange between the police and protesters.

The protesters condemned the alleged lathi-charge on students in Delhi and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government.

Speakers at the protest alleged that the government had been negligent in addressing the students' concerns, claiming that the lack of response had contributed to the escalation of the agitation.

Protesters demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, justice for students affected by the alleged NEET irregularities, and the scrapping of NEET in favour of reinstating the CET exam.

Leaders including DSS Krishna, C. Kumari, Karave Jayaram, M.B. Nagannagowda, Auto Krishna, and others participated in the protest. Protests in the national capital over allegations of NEET paper leaks continued, with activists maintaining their demands.

According to government sources, an offer to continue talks was sent to the leadership of the CJP; however, the offer was rejected, leading to a continued stalemate.

Earlier, representatives of the CJP had met with Union Health Minister JP Nadda in the capital on July 20 and presented their demands to him, including seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. According to the CJP, the Minister assured them that this would be discussed at the appropriate level.

The activists have put forth three key demands to end their agitation. 

Outlining the conditions, CJP spokesperson Sourav Das said: "First, the resignationof Dharmendra Pradhan. Second, 1 crore compensation for the families of all those students who died by suicide due to the NEET paper leak. Third, all FIRs filed unnecessarily against peaceful protesters must be withdrawn, and we want a sovereign guarantee from the government that no such FIRs will be registered against any peaceful demonstrator in the future."

Das termed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as "nonnegotiable," reiterating that the agitation would continue indefinitely until the demand is met.