LIVE | Govt wants to lay siege to Jantar Mantar: CJP; 47 NTA officials sacked
Meanwhile, Opposition parties protested at Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while Lok Sabha was adjourned till Monday
Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his indefinite hunger strike after the government assured him that his demands would be met.
He announced the end of his fast after Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram around Thursday midnight (July 23) and conveyed the government's assurances.
Also read: CJP protests expose Modi's Achilles' heel: A government unused to listening
"Just now in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda, Dr Jitendra Singh and the senior leaders of Apex Body of Leh Ladakh, I finally broke my fast after 26 days," Wangchuk said in a post on X.
PM's X post for Wangchuk
After Wangchuk announced the end of his hunger strike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X, "I urge Sonam ji to follow his daily routine as advised by the doctors and regain his weight as soon as possible." "I pray to the Almighty that Sonam ji remains healthy," the prime minister added.
Also read: Degrees, dreams, and despair: Why India’s young graduates are on the streets
Reading out the government's assurances to Wangchuk in the presence of his wife Gitanjali Angmo and others at the hospital, Nadda said, "The government is positive on not registering cases against those protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and those who participated in the march to Parliament on July 20, 2026." The Union Health Minister further said that the government has already assured discussions in Parliament on paper leaks and education reforms for exams.
"Besides, the government is also positively considering suitable compensation for the suicide victims of recent NEET paper leaks," Nadda added.
Also read: From slaps, social media ridicule to threats: Police brutality under fire amid CJP protests
Wangchuk said that a total of 65 Members of Parliament from different political parties had visited or signed letters urging him to break the fast.
"This was done after long negotiations on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country. I will explain the conditions in detail in a separate video very soon. Meanwhile, I urge you all to stay very vigilant about not allowing violence of any kind anywhere," he said in his post on X.
CJP 'relieved and grateful'
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday said it was "relieved and grateful" that activist Sonam Wangchuk had ended his 26-day hunger strike, but asserted that its peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
Also read: Salman, Kareena, Alia...How aloof Bollywood found its voice to back student protests
In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke thanked Wangchuk for his "extraordinary courage and sacrifice".
"We are relieved and grateful that Sonam sir has ended his hunger strike after 26 days. Thank you, sir, for your extraordinary courage and sacrifice. By putting your own life on the line, you awakened the conscience of an entire nation. Your life is far too precious to this country," Dipke said.
"The Cockroach Janta Party's peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns," he added.
Rahul attacks PM Modi, lists 3 demands
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday night attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sidestepping the issue of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation in his video message released just before midnight.
In a post on X, Rahul said the prime minister should not insult the intelligence of students.
"Mr Modi, our students are demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Don't insult their intelligence with this pathetic midnight video. 1. Sack Pradhan. 2. Punish those who beat students. 3. Apologise," the leader of opposition said in his post.
Prime Minister Modi announced that his government would take strict action against paper leaks and would discuss and finalise a law in this regard in Friday's meeting of the Union Cabinet.
Modi announced on Thursday that a Bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week.
In a video message, Modi also said the contours of the bill will be discussed at the cabinet meeting where the proposed legislation will be finalised.
The cabinet will discuss the issue of paper leaks on Friday, and taking suggestions of the cabinet colleagues, further action will be finalised.
"On Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin, a bill will be brought with provisions for strong action against paper leaks, and we will try to pass it as early as possible," he said.
Follow live updates of CJP protest, Parliament monsoon session, here.
Live Updates
- 24 July 2026 11:16 AM IST
Lok Sabha adjourned till noon
Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon as opposition continues to protest against NEET paper leak, other issues.
- 24 July 2026 11:16 AM IST
Rajya Sabha adjourned till noon
Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till 12 noon as Opposition parties continue protest against NEET paper leak.
- 24 July 2026 10:09 AM IST
No result and no system should cost a life: Nora Fatehi extends support to students
Actor Nora Fatehi extended her support to the students demanding accountability over irregularities in the NEET exam and applauded the bravery and resilience of the protestors.
The students, joined by other supporters, have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, reforms to the examination system and justice for students affected by paper leaks.
Fatehi shared a note on her Instagram handle on Thursday and said she hopes the "real solution" comes out.
"My heart goes out to every student, every family, and every person carrying the weight of uncertainty. Education is more than exams or marks, it is a sacrifice. Every student who studies late into the night, and every family that suffers financially to provide for their children an education, deserves fairness, dignity and trust," she wrote.
The actor said no result and no system should cost a life.
"The reports surrounding the examination paper leak have left do many people feeling disappointed, exhausted and heartbroken. My thoughts are especially with the families who have lost their children. The news of the students committing suicide has shaken me...I am in awe of your bravery and resilience," she added.
Several celebrities have extended their support to the students, including Alia Bhatt, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shabana Azmi, Prakash Raj, Rajkummar Rao, Revathy, Tovino Thomas, Anurag Kashyap and Arijit Singh, among others.
- 24 July 2026 8:52 AM IST
PM's lack of commitment to accountability evident: Congress on Modi's video message
The Congress on Friday said the "desperate and hassled-looking" Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence on paper leaks with a video message, and claimed that his lack of commitment to accountability is evident from his failure to even mention the student protests or the brutality unleashed on them.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said whatever eyewash the PM proposes, the first steps to any resolution are clear -- "sack Mantri Pradhan; punish those who beat them; apologise".
"The desperate and hassled-looking Pradhan Mantri finally broke his two-month-long silence late last night via a video message to speak on paper leaks," Ramesh said on X.
Remember that the Modi government has long denied that the NEET-UG 2026 exam was leaked, he said.
"The Mantri Pradhan deliberately refused to use the word leak in his press conference and the Education Ministry officially denied that a paper leak occurred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education," he said, referring to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
It is only the outpouring of public anger over the last two months that has made the PM accept the truth, Ramesh said.
"But this is also exactly why students no longer have any faith in the Modi Government. It has consistently prioritised its own cynical political calculations over student interest," he said.
It deliberately buried the evidence of widespread irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 exam despite the extremely fishy clustering of toppers in a handful of test centres, the Congress leader claimed.
- 24 July 2026 8:09 AM IST
17 Delhi Metro stations closed
List of 17 Delhi Metro stations closed from 07:30 AM today. However, the interchange facility shall remain available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat.
- 24 July 2026 7:56 AM IST
Modi govt treating students seeking accountability as 'enemies of nation': Sonia Gandhi
In a broadside against the Modi government, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday said students have demanded accountability and educational reforms, but the Modi government has responded to their courage with "cowardice and wanton cruelty, treating them not as inheritors of the future but as enemies of the nation".
She accused the government of degrading India's education landscape and asserted that the country's students have called the Modi regime's bluff.
She emphasised it is a moral, political, and constitutional duty to stand with students and safeguard their future.
"The student protests are a natural consequence of these interrelated forces: today's bleak education landscape, which evokes only hopelessness, and the Modi government's trademark arrogance and unwillingness to be accountable or constructive," Gandhi said in her article titled 'An education system's collapse, young India's trauma' published in The Hindu.
She claimed that the 'brutality' perpetrated by the police personnel functioning under the direct authority of the Union Home Minister on student protesters is hardly unprecedented for this regime.
"We all remember vividly how armed policemen and paramilitary forces ravaged university campuses during the Citizenship (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens protests in 2020. The unacceptable excesses against India's women wrestlers can never be erased from our memories," she said.
The Modi government has not just degraded India's education landscape but has also made a habit of acting with "utter impunity, supreme self-delusion, and abject insensitivity", she alleged.
She pointed out that peaceful protests by students across India against examination paper leaks and the overall decline in the education system have been gaining momentum in recent weeks.
"Their demands have been straightforward and to the point: accountability from the Government of India and education reform. The Narendra Modi government has responded to their courage with cowardice and wanton cruelty, treating them not as inheritors of the future but as enemies of the nation," she said.
- 24 July 2026 7:22 AM IST
Removing Pradhan is the strictest action: CJP to PM Modi
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has said the "strictest action" the government could take against examination irregularities was to remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that a bill providing for stringent action against paper leaks would be introduced in Parliament.
CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, in response to the prime minister's remarks, said, "Modi ji, remove Dharmendra Pradhan tomorrow. That's the strictest action you can take." CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also reacted to the prime minister's announcement by taking to X to share an image of a man locking the gate of a compound with no boundary walls, in an apparent swipe at the proposed legislation.
- 24 July 2026 6:51 AM IST
PM Modi's X post for Wangchuk
"I urge Sonam ji to follow his routine as per the doctors' advice and regain his old weight as soon as possible. I pray to the Lord that Sonam ji remains healthy," says PM Narendra Modi in a post on X.
- 24 July 2026 6:50 AM IST
Rahul's 3 demands from PM Modi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi puts across three demands from PM Narendra Modi, slams his video as "pathetic".
- 24 July 2026 6:46 AM IST
Govt to hold talks with CJP today, likely at 12:30 PM
Government to hold talks with CJP at the Constitution Club of India in Delhi today.
