NEW DELHI: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over the police action against students, calling the Modi government “extremely arrogant” for using force against peaceful protesters.Speaking to reporters, Kejriwal said the youth of the country are “deeply distressed and angry” over repeated failures in the examination system.“The youth of our country are currently deeply distressed and angry. Consider the condition of our country’s examination system: first, there were paper leaks; then, a massive scam emerged in the UPSC evaluation process, resulting in incorrect scores being awarded to students. Subsequently, the NEET examination was conducted and then re-conducted, yet the entire evaluation system was still plagued by errors,” he said.He questioned the lack of response to student grievances. “Students submitted complaint after complaint, but no one paid attention to their concerns. Where are these students and their parents supposed to go? Whom can they approach for justice and redressal? The government simply does not listen,” Kejriwal told reporters.Kejriwal condemned the use of force to suppress the protests.”When students took to the streets to protest, demanding nothing more than corrections and reforms in the examination and education systems, they were met with a lathi-charge. The government has refused to meet with them or engage in dialogue. The Modi government has become extremely arrogant. Students are being subjected to lathi-charges, and tear gas shells are being fired at them. The protest was completely peaceful and had continued for 25 days without a single incident of misconduct or wrongdoing. Despite this, the manner in which the protest was suppressed today is deeply regrettable,” he said.This came as the Monsoon Session of Parliament got off to a stormy start, with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessing repeated disruptions over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya.Earlier in the day, Delhi Police urged people to maintain peace and avoid spreading rumours or unverified information amid the ongoing Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest over the alleged NEET exam paper leak.Police also asked protesters to cooperate with security personnel and follow lawful directions to maintain public order.In a post on X, the official account of Delhi Police wrote, “Delhi Police appeals to all protestors to maintain peace, exercise restraint and cooperate with the police in ensuring peace and public order. All participants are requested to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, refrain from indulging in any unlawful or violent activities and comply with the lawful directions issued by police officers/personnel deployed on duty.““The public is advised not to believe or circulate rumours, misinformation or unverified content through any platform. Citizens are requested to rely only on authentic sources of information and extend their cooperation to Delhi Police in maintaining peace, harmony and public order,” the post read.Earlier, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das said they met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and raised three demands, including resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the NEET aspirants, “more than 20 of whom have lost their lives”.He said activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is in a hospital, should be “released immediately”.Das said that the protest will continue till Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.“We met JP Nadda twice. During the meeting, we stated our three demands. First, that Sonam Wangchuk be released immediately… Second, we demand that Dharmendra Pradhan must resign; he should either be dismissed from the Cabinet or resign voluntarily. The protest will continue until his resignation is secured. Third, we demand compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the NEET aspirants, more than 20 of whom have lost their lives. We approached JP Nadda regarding these demands,” Das told ANI.
