Pradhan Meets NEET Topper While Protests Rage in Delhi
Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan met a NEET topper as police removed hunger striker Sonam Wangchuk and blocked a Parliament march over exam leak demands.
AC Team
Picture this. On one side of Delhi, a minister is smiling for a photo with a topper. On the other side, police are carrying out a hunger striker on a stretcher. Both things happened within 24 hours, and both involve the same person: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
On Sunday, Pradhan met Panshul Bansal, a student from Faridabad who scored All India Rank 2 in the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam. Pradhan posted a photo with Bansal on X and called his performance a reflection of the dedication and aspiration of India's young minds. Nice words. Good photo. But the timing raised eyebrows, because this meeting came just a day after Delhi Police forcibly removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.
Why was Wangchuk on a hunger strike in the first place?
Wangchuk had been fasting since June 28, demanding Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-UG paper leak. The original exam, held on May 3, was cancelled after the leak came to light. A re-examination followed on June 21. Bansal, the student Pradhan met, took this re-exam and scored 715 out of 720, tying with Punjab's Aryan Gupta for the top spot but landing at rank 2 due to tie-breaking rules.
So the topper Pradhan celebrated is directly connected to the mess Wangchuk was protesting against. That is not a small detail. It is the whole story.
Police remove Wangchuk, tighten security around Parliament
On July 18, the 21st day of his fast, Delhi Police removed Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar, citing a Delhi High Court order and his declining health. He was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital, and security around him was increased right after. His wife had requested a shift to a private hospital instead, but the Delhi High Court did not grant this for now.
From his hospital bed, Wangchuk sent out a message urging his supporters not to stop. He called the planned Monday march to Parliament, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, India's "2nd Freedom Movement." That is a big name for a march, but the group has never been shy about big statements.
Who is the Cockroach Janta Party, and why that name?
The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, was started by activist Abhijeet Dipke in May, after remarks made by the Chief Justice of India. Pradhan has called the group the "B-team of terrorists," which is the only public comment he has made on the CJP so far. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not spoken on the issue at all.
Dipke says he was beaten and detained while trying to reach Jantar Mantar. Undeterred, he began his own indefinite hunger strike and said the CJP's demand has now grown bigger than Pradhan's resignation. The group now wants the Prime Minister to step down too.
Section 163 and a march that may not happen
Ahead of Monday's planned march to Parliament, Delhi Police invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which bans gatherings of five or more people across New Delhi district without permission. Deputy commissioner of police Sachin Sharma clarified that no permission was sought or given for the march.
Security has been tightened across New Delhi, Central Delhi, and parts of North Delhi ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session. A three-tier security setup, with two layers of Delhi Police and one layer of paramilitary forces, now surrounds Jantar Mantar. Barricades and vehicle checks have gone up at entry points across the city.
Politicians weigh in
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi broke his silence after Wangchuk's removal, saying the Modi government stands on "asatya and hinsa," meaning falsehood and violence. Congress leader KC Venugopal called the removal of the peaceful protest "fascist." Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal asked why the Prime Minister has not met Wangchuk, even though Congress has raised the same concerns over the paper leak.
Delhi Police, for their part, say they acted on court orders and medical advice, and that officers showed maximum restraint during the operation.
So here we are. A topper photo on one screen, a hunger strike on another, and a march that police say cannot happen but organisers say will happen anyway. Delhi this week feels less like a city and more like a live news channel that never cuts to a break.
