Student unions will stage a ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ protest on July 23.

Representatives of various student and youth organizations released a poster of their proposed protest at a press meet in Vijayawada on Wednesday. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

Representatives of various student and youth organizations on Wednesday appealed to the public to support the proposed ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ protest on July 23 and educational institution bandh on July 24, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.

Addressing a joint press conference in Vijayawada, the organizations alleged that the Union government has failed to protect the interests of students and instead of addressing their concerns, it is suppressing dissent.

Alleging that the future of millions of students has been pushed into uncertainty, the State Secretary of the Students’ Federation of India K. Prasanna Kumar condemned the Delhi police action against students participating in the “Parliament Chalo” protest. He alleged that the students were subjected to tear gas and sustained serious injuries and claimed that the female student was fighting for her life after the police action.

It was unacceptable for the government to respond with repression when students demanded accountability, he said, adding that Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan should resign immediately. He appealed to the students and public to make the ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ protest and the bandh of educational institutions successful.

AISF state president G. Valaraju criticized the Andhra Pradesh coalition government for remaining silent on the issue. Claiming that more than 50,000 students in the state were affected by the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, he called on both the ruling coalition and the opposition to respond.

DYFI State Secretary G. Ramanna claimed that 152 examination papers were leaked across the country in the last 14 years, describing it as a multi-crore scam.

PDSU state secretary Rajesh claimed that although thousands of students took part in a peaceful rally at Jantar Mantar, the authorities deployed heavy police, suspended internet services and halted metro services. He alleged that these measures reflected the BJP government’s fear of the youth movement and demanded the immediate release of Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan.

AIYF State Treasurer Subhani, AISA State Leader Mahesh, SFI State Vice President Ravi, SFI District Secretary Venkateswara Rao, Student Leader Praneeth, PDSU State Vice President Sunil and DYFI District Secretary Siva were among those present.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 22:15 IST