'Ye sirf NEET ki baat nahi hai': Alakh Pandey backs CJP protest, urges Centre to hear students

The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak row flared again at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where anger over the alleged leak and police action on student protesters drew support from Physics Wallah co-founder and CEO Alakh Pandey. In a video from the protest site, Pandey backed the agitation and urged the government to speak to students, saying the unrest went beyond one exam and reflected wider frustration with the education system.

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Alakh Pandey backs protest

The Physics Wallah co-founder's statement came as the Cockroach Janta Party continued its protest and renewed its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The protest escalated on Monday, July 20, when thousands gathered at Jantar Mantar. Pandey said several peaceful protesters were injured in the police action.

Sharing the video on Thursday morning, he said, “Bees July ko Bharat ke bachon ne aitihasik pradarshan kiya. Aur yeh bachon ka gussa tha poori shiksha vyavastha ke upar. Yeh sirf NEET ki baat nahi thi (On July 20th, the students of India held a historic protest. And this was the students' anger against the entire education system. This wasn't just about NEET).”

He added, “Sarkar in bachon se baat kyun nahi karti? (Why doesn’t the government talk to these children?)” and, “Yeh humare desh ke hi toh bache hain. Ek baar aake inse baat kar lijiye. Inki problem toh sun lijiye, inki majboori hai ki aaj yeh road pe aa gaye hain (They are, after all, the children of our own country. Please come and speak with them just once. At least listen to their problems; it is out of sheer helplessness that they have taken to the streets today).”

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Criticism and wider appeal

The video was posted two days after the Cockroach Janta Party criticised Pandey for not backing the students. In a post on X, the group said, “Students should stop taking lessons from Alakh Pandey. Every teacher who is not with the students should be boycotted.”

Pandey also referred to students who died by suicide after the NEET paper leak and widened his remarks beyond one examination. “It’s not just about NEET—it's about IIT, CBSE, SSC, education, recruitment... it's about everything that is being discussed here… I would like to tell the government: these are your own children. They belong to our country, please support them. From my side, I will fully support the families of all those students who committed suicide. I will provide a complete education to all the children in their families. And I appeal to the government: please, at least listen to what they have to say,” he said.

Delhi Metro services hit, then restored

The protest also affected public transport in central Delhi. Amid heightened security during the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar, 16 Delhi Metro stations on the Blue, Yellow and Violet lines were shut on Thursday morning for “security reasons”. Trains kept running and halted at the affected stations, but entry and exit gates were barricaded and police were deployed on platforms. Interchange facilities, however, are available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.