Dharmendra Pradhan was on Saturday forced to quit as the Union Minister of Education following the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest over the NEET paper leaks.

Youth leaders reject every sweetener offered by Nadda and Jitendra Singh, declaring the Education Minister’s exit the only price for a system that has already buried a dozen dreams.

At Jantar Mantar, the fight for a fair examination system has now been reduced to a fight for the next meal. On 24 July, protesters reported a clear shortage of food and water after delivery companies were effectively stopped from serving the site. Platforms that once carried pizzas, parathas, biryani and water bottles ordered by supporters from across India and even abroad suddenly became unavailable. What began as a spontaneous wave of public solidarity has been systematically choked.

This is not logistics. This is strategy. When students demand accountability for paper leaks that destroyed careers and drove some to suicide, the state responds by restricting the very means of survival. Internet suspensions, metro closures, multi-layered barricades and now the cutoff of food delivery form a coordinated pressure system. The message is simple: protest if you must, but do it hungry, disconnected and exhausted.

In the dead of night, when most of the capital sleeps and only the determined remain at Jantar Mantar, another truck loaded with stones has been reported near the protest site. Spotted around 12:30 am on 24 July, the vehicle appeared under the same heavy security blanket that has already choked the area with barricades, internet restrictions and delivery blackouts. The timing is too convenient to ignore.

At the same time, food delivery and quick-commerce platforms — Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit and Zepto — stopped accepting or completing orders to the protest site. MediaNama checked the apps and confirmed none were delivering there. Later in the day some services flickered back, but the message had already been delivered. The same platforms that flooded the site with pizzas, biryani, sanitary pads and water bottles from supporters across India and even from Dubai and the United States suddenly found the location unreachable. Delivery riders who had been making multiple trips a day were turned away or found the address blocked.

On 23 July 2026 the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered yet another mobile internet shutdown in a 1.5-kilometre radius around Jantar Mantar, from 4 pm until midnight. This is the fifth such cut since 17 July. Official language speaks of “public order” and “preventing incitement.” The real language is simpler: cut the digital oxygen so students cannot organise, cannot receive support, and cannot show the country what is happening to them.

Delivery executives ferrying food and water parcels from across the country, sanitation volunteers (including students from privileged backgrounds) clearing pizza boxes, plastic, and roadside spill with gloves and bags, and volunteer doctors running orthopedic/general/pediatric camps with pooled supplies are not side stories. They are the operational layer that turns a viral meme into multi-week occupancy under heat, rain, humidity, barricades, and intermittent police pressure. Without them the site collapses in 48–72 hours; with them it regenerates after dismantling (as seen after the 20 July ‘Chalo Sansad’ events).

Narendra Modi Tweets This Morning..

Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.

देश के युवाओं का हित और उनका भविष्य हमारी सर्वोच्च प्राथमिकता है। पेपर लीक के सभी मामलों में दोषियों को जल्द से जल्द कठोर दंड देने के लिए, केस के त्वरित निस्तारण के लिए फास्ट ट्रैक कोर्ट्स का गठन किया जाएगा। इस संबंध में निर्देश दे दिए गए हैं कि संबंधित विभाग आवश्यक कार्रवाई सुनिश्चित करें। विद्यार्थियों के हितों को सुरक्षित करने के लिए, सरकार द्वारा लिए जा रहे निर्णयों की श्रृंखला में ये एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है। युवाओं के भविष्य के साथ खिलवाड़ करने वाले किसी भी व्यक्ति को बख्शा नहीं जाएगा।

Actor Alia Bhatt has spoken out in support of the nationwide student protests, sharing an emotional message expressing solidarity with students demanding a fair and transparent examination system. In a statement shared on social media, Bhatt said the past few days had "broken my heart and then mended it... with hope," praising the courage and resolve of students protesting across the country. She wrote that every student deserves a system built on fairness and merit, adding that behind every protester is "a dream, a family's hope, and a journey of countless sacrifices." Calling students the ones who will "inherit and shape this country's tomorrow," Bhatt said their determination should prompt society to reflect on whether it is truly listening to the voices of the youth. She concluded her message with, "For the students. By the students. The future is theirs." Bhatt joins a growing list of public figures who have publicly backed the ongoing student protests over alleged examination paper leaks and calls for greater accountability and reforms in the examination system.

• Protests have drawn thousands of mostly Gen Z participants, with support from activists like Sonam Wangchuk and some celebrities/public figures.

• Heavy security is in place with barricades and police presence. Clashes have occurred, including on July 20–22: Police used batons and tear gas; protesters allegedly threw stones/bottles. Injuries reported on both sides (police and protesters).