What began as a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the NEET exam leak, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has now visibly evolved into a nationwide movement with Kolkata joining the ranks Friday. (Express photo by Ravik Bhattacharya)

CJP, student bodies join SFI stir

What began as a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the NEET exam leak, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has now visibly evolved into a nationwide movement with Kolkata joining the ranks Friday.

As the protest started, Sealdah remained packed with thousands of protesters shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan, apart from the ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ (Long live the revolution) and ‘Azadi’ (freedom) slogans.

The Kolkata stir — organised by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M) — saw massive participation of people from across political lines.

Police personnel attempting to remove blockades and clear the intersection were met with heavy resistance from agitators, leading to shoe hurling and stone pelting. (Express photos by Partha Paul)

The TMC’s Chhatra Parishad and the Youth Congress also joined in the SFI’s rally, marching from the Vidyasagar statue on College Street towards Esplanade — presenting a united opposition front on the streets.

After being refused permission to organise an independent march, the CJP had also extended its support to the SFI-led march, with supporters carrying Cockroach placards alongside Left activists.

The convergence of separate rallies at Esplanade severely impacted traffic throughout the afternoon, as commuters experienced major delays along College Street, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bowbazar, BB Ganguly Street and SN Banerjee Road, prompting Kolkata Traffic Police to deploy additional forces and issue route diversions.

Beyond NEET leak

People from all walks of life marched to demand the scrapping of the National Education Policy (NEP), accountability for the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the immediate resignation of Pradhan.

People from all walks of life marched to demand the scrapping of the National Education Policy (NEP), accountability for the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the immediate resignation of Pradhan. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

“There is no question of backing down even an inch from these core demands,” said Sharmishtha Das, a Fine Arts student who joined the demonstrations. “My friends joined the protest in Delhi. When I found out about the Kolkata march, I canceled all my plans to show solidarity with students across India who have suffered because of paper leaks.”

Kalyan Chakraborty, a B.Tech student at B.P. Poddar Institute, stressed that the movement extends beyond a single examination. “This agitation is not just about NEET; it is against the NTA and the systemic collapse of our examination framework.”

(Arghya Chakravorty is an intern with The Indian Express)