Shivaji Park fills with supporters as Pradhan's resignation turns Tiranga March into celebration

The gathering at Shivaji Park on Sunday. Pics/Atul Kamble, Madhulika Ram Kavattur, Sarthak Mehta

Shivaji Park on Sunday was packed with people from all over the city at 10 am. What was originally planned as a ‘Tiranga March' was changed to a celebratory gathering as Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post, which was one of the core demands of the protest led by Cockroach Janta Party.

According to a senior police official, security arrangements had been in place from 7 am, and traffic movement through Swatantryaveer Sawarkar Road (where the centre stage was installed) remained disrupted from 8 am onwards.

The crowd seemed to peak around 11 am. At 11.10 am, gates of Shivteerth opened and organisers including Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Aaditya Thackeray, and Amit Thackeray walked out to address the gathering. MNS chief Raj Thackeray began the address by reading out the list of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide due to the paper leak.

He called for a two minute silence to pay homage to them. Political jabs followed from Uddhav, who extended his appreciation to Gen Z by calling them ‘Vishnu Avtaar' who had successfully made this "a national level remove BJP movement".

mid-day sent a query to DCP (Central Zone 3) Mahendra Pandit asking about the total number of detentions if any, but didn't receive a response by press time.

Protester Speak

Sadafi Khan, protester
‘I gave the NEET five years ago. I know how tough the exam and its preparation is. With the resignation and the other points accepted by the government yesterday, I feel that the justice to a certain extent has been served for the 20 who took their lives due to the NEET leak in May'

Ajinkya Jadhav, gym trainer, Shivaji Park resident
‘I am here with my kid. He is in junior KG but he will also face these competitive exams someday, and I wish these issues don't continue till then.'

Insha Dawat, protester
‘I just feel elated… there is no better way to even express myself. All of us who have screamed our lungs out to ask for what is right have now been taken seriously. I really am happy today.'

Aiysha Khan, Sadafi's mother
‘I saw my daughter suffering as she gave the NEET. She fell into severe depression five years ago. I know what the parents of this year's NEET candidates must be feeling. That helpless feeling is not a kind one on the whole family. As the Gen Z protesters this time have managed to make the government bend to their demands, I hope from the bottom of my heart that no one suffers the same again.'

Gladson Nanda, video editor, Mira Road resident
‘I have left the student life for six years now and still exam time memories come in my nightmares. Exam preparation is always very stressful for students and they absolutely don't need these lapses by the government to deal with. A paper leak is criminal, and it shouldn't be tolerated.'

Durgesh Pragati Satish Amble, creative designer

"My poster (Swatch Sansad) was to show that words which had been used to clean the country literally can also be useful in the figurative sense. This whole protest has shown us that Gen Z is not just an age bracket. I myself am 32, but I strongly resound with the same feeling the younger generation has. Gen Z, over the course of last two months, has become a sprit which we are seeing in people as old as 80 or 90; and maybe this is what we needed for the future of our country."

He said, "Accountability isn't something we exercise once every five years; it's a continuous civic responsibility. Governments change. Parties change. Institutions remain. Accountability must remain with them."

Amble added, perhaps it's time we stop calling them 'kids'. They have just reshaped a national conversation. It's time we started recognising them for what they truly are ‘responsible citizens'.

Sariya Khan, architect, Andheri resident
‘This is just the start. We need many more reforms and I will continue to raise my voice'

Sahil Shah, protester
‘I just came back to India a few weeks ago after finishing my masters, and today I am here to support and celebrate with everyone. The acceptance of our demands is a symbolic win for us, and I continue to hope that because we the protesters have shown that we are not shy of questioning authority, no such leak occurs again.'

Mangesh Koyande, mountaineering coach, Dombivli resident
‘I believed in the cause so I came here GenZ are right. The government has made too many mistakes without accountability. Their irresponsible behaviour led to death of 21 students. Will they come back after Pradhan's resignation? The deeper problem of irresponsibility needs correction'

Omkar Padekar, engineering student, Chembur resident
‘I am a PCMB student, had given both NEET & JEE IN 2024. I know how anxious one can become during these preparations. NEET was leaked that year as well. I gave up and couldn't reappear. Fortunately, I cleared JEE and I got into an engineering college. But what about those who don't have the privilege of a second chance?

Celebrations continue

The protest on Sunday ended around 12 pm as the organisers of the protest, Shivsena UBT and MNS chiefs, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray left after the national anthem was played. But many of the younger students stuck around Shivaji Park still celebrating and chanting till 1.30 pm, and police personnel present at the gathering gradually cleared out the crowds to restore traffic flow.

Brief march near Chaityabhumi

Within 300 meters from the morning event site, a crowd of around 50 gathered at 2:10 pm to raise victory slogans and student concerns near the Dr BR Ambedkar Chaityabhumi. The eight minute gathering remained peaceful and no student was detained by the police. According to one of the leaders, this gathering was organised by MASS (Mumbai Against Suppression of Students), a group of all Mumbai-based student organisations.

"Following the Shivaji Park gathering, we had planned to gather here around 1 pm to celebrate the victory after 36 days of struggle by students. Police didn't cooperate and prevented students from reaching here; they dispersed them in the opposite direction," claimed a MASS-associated protester.

Slogans raised

>> Kal bhi woh hare the, aaj bhi woh harenge
>> NTA radd karo
>> SAARE mukadme wapas lo
>> Chatro pe hamla nahi sahenge
>> Vidyarthi ekjut zindabad
>> Jitenge bhai, jite hain, chatra nojawan jitenge
>> Jai Bhim
>> Chatra ekta zindabad

‘Double standards'

Anikent Sonawane, state secretary, Lokshahi Yuva Sangathan (MASS Member)
‘We had planned this to pay respect to Babasaheb. After all it's the constitution that he wrote which gave students their right to protest which led to Pradhan's resignation. We also wanted to raise students' concerns regarding NTA, and the government. But we weren't allowed to. Our students were prevented from reaching here. Why did the police discriminate when it came to our celebration? It's us students who have been at it since the last 36 days. They didn't have any issues with the gathering that the Thackerays organised, then why us?'

36
No of days protest was held