Hyderabad Candlelight Vigil Demands Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation Over NEET Leak

A coalition of civil society organizations and local residents gathered near the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar statue at Necklace Road in Hyderabad on Thursday evening, July 16, to hold a candlelight vigil. The protesters expressed solidarity with hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak.

The protest began around 7 p.m. with participants lighting candles and raising slogans. The crowd grew as the evening progressed, with participants carrying placards that read 'Save Sonam Wangchuk', 'Protect Student Rights', and 'Sack Dharmendra Pradhan'.

The vigil coincided with the 19th day of activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. Protesters displayed a poster listing three primary demands: protecting student rights, scrapping the National Testing Agency (NTA), and removing Dharmendra Pradhan from his position as Union Education Minister.

Dinesh, a working professional who participated in the event, criticized the handling of national entrance examinations. He questioned the government's inability to conduct exams properly despite taxpayers' contributions, and criticized the lack of dialogue with protesting citizens, particularly Wangchuk.

Another participant, a teacher named Sandhya, emphasized the need for broader public participation. She noted that while students are actively participating in these protests, significant change would require the parents of lakhs of children to join the movement as well.

Former chairman of the Telangana Education Commission, Akunuri Murali, also attended the vigil. He expressed deep concern over Wangchuk’s health and criticized the Union government's silence on the matter. Murali called for an investigation into the NTA and demanded Pradhan's resignation.

Additionally, Murali questioned the centralization of national entrance examinations under the NTA. He argued that state governments possess the necessary capacity to conduct their own entrance tests and suggested that the Centre should limit its role to examinations for central institutions, stating that the current system undermines the spirit of federalism.