Congress workers, police clash during NEET protest in Jaipur

Police personnel use water cannons to disperse Congress workers as they take out a protest march towards the BJP Rajasthan headquarters. Pic/PTI

Tension gripped Jaipur on Thursday as Congress workers protesting the alleged NEET paper leak clashed with police during a march towards the BJP headquarters. Police used water cannons and barricades to stop protesters from advancing, leading to scuffles at the Martyrs' Memorial area near the Police Commissionerate.

The protest was led by Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, who marched alongside party workers and senior leaders demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.

Amid the chaos, Congress workers carried Dotasra on their shoulders as police sprayed water cannons on the crowd.

Former minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas sat on the road in front of the Police Commissionerate in protest, while former MLA Ved Prakash Solanki was pushed back by police personnel during the confrontation.

MLA Manish Yadav also attempted to climb over police barricades to move ahead with the protesters, but was stopped and brought down by police.

The Congress march began from the party's state headquarters and proceeded towards the BJP office via the Martyrs' Memorial. A large number of party workers, including women and youth, participated in the protest. Some youths also arrived dressed as NEET aspirants to symbolically highlight students' anger over the alleged paper leak.

Addressing protesters, Dotasra launched a sharp attack on the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA). "NEET paper leaks have been happening for the last three years. People have lost faith in the NTA, and the organisation should be dissolved," he said.

Demanding accountability, he added that strict action must be taken against those responsible for "ruining the future of 22 lakh students".

He also called for a court-monitored investigation into the matter, despite the Centre handing over the probe to the CBI. Dotasra accused the Union Education Minister of failing to take responsibility and demanded his resignation.

Meanwhile, police remained deployed in large numbers around the BJP headquarters and Martyrs' Memorial area to prevent protesters from moving forward. Minor scuffles between workers and police continued intermittently during the demonstration.

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