On May 27,2026,members of Odisha Congress held protest in Bhubaneswar over alleged irregularities in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET),and mood looked clearly heated .
The demonstration was led by Chhatra Congress leader Bibhuti Bhushan Mohapatra . He directly targeted Union Education Minister,Dharmendra Pradhan,saying government had failed in education system . That is strong charge,but when exam-related controversies keep coming again and again,students will obviously ask who is answerable.
Activists under National Students' Union of India (NSUI) banner marched from Pradesh Congress Committee office towards Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters,demanding immediate action . But police stopped procession near Banadurga Temple,and then situation turned into standoff for nearly hour.
And this is where protest became more intense . Demonstrators burned effigies of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan,showing how much anger has built up around NEET-UG exam handling.
Mohapatra said future of approximately 22 lakh students was put at risk because of its cancellation . For any student preparing day and night,that kind of uncertainty is mentally exhausting only .
Few things Congress and NSUI focused on:
- Allegations of widespread exam leaks,with protesters saying leaks from nearly 90 major examinations in past decade affected around 6.5 crore students.
- Calls for minister's resignation,as Mohapatra asked Dharmendra Pradhan to step down over repeated failures during his tenure .
- Demand to abolish NTA,with NSUI questioning credibility of National Testing Agency and asking for it to be disbanded due to ongoing controversies .
Earlier same day,during press conference,Mohapatra and Spandan Swain spoke about what they called government negligence in protecting examination integrity . They also said agitation against alleged NEET scam will continue,with support of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das.
The protest was inaugurated by Bhakta Charan Das and saw many Congress and Chhatra Congress supporters joining in . And tbh,this is not just party politics for many students;exam trust breaking down hits families directly,financially and emotionally.
Now Congress wants to keep pressure on government to respond to these allegations and restore faith in education system . But bigger question is still hanging there… if students stop trusting exam process itself,then what happens next?
