Mumbai, Jul 28 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of FIRs and notices against protesters who were part of agitations in different parts of Maharashtra over the NEET paper leak.
Addressing a press conference, Thackeray also sought clarification from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the alleged malpractice in the MH-CET examination for engineering colleges in the state.
The former state minister slammed the government for using police action and taking down social media content to suppress youth voices, and offered free legal assistance to all affected demonstrators across Maharashtra.
He claimed that first information reports (FIRs) were registered, minors were detained, and notices were sent to those who had participated in protests on July 22 and 23 to demand Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as the Union education minister over the NEET paper leak.
“The government must withdraw all FIRs and notices sent to protesters across the state,” Thackeray said, while urging protesters to contact the party on shivsenaubtlegal@gmail.com for free legal assistance.
He also urged lawyers to contact the party if they want to contest these cases on a pro bono basis.
“We will also pursue cases of police brutality at every possible level,” Thackeray said.
The government was trying to take down reels from social media and suspend Facebook and Instagram accounts, he claimed, labelling the BJP regime as “anti-youth” and “anti-students”.
Thackeray also termed the welcome accorded to Pradhan by BJP MPs in the Parliament complex on Monday as “shamelessness”.
Thackeray also sought clarification from Fadnavis over the alleged malpractices in the MH-CET entrance exam for engineering colleges.
He pointed out that two siblings in Nanded scored identical marks in the exam, while a student from Bhandara got more marks than in his Class 12 board examination.
The admissions start tomorrow, and the CM must speak on this issue, he said.
“The chief minister must speak on the MH-CET alleged paper leak/scam (irregularities). If there is no scam, he will speak. If there is one, he’ll indulge in whataboutery,” the Opposition party leader said.
Several students, parents and the Opposition Congress questioned the credibility of the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) for engineering colleges, claiming that some candidates with modest academic records secured near-perfect percentiles. PTI PR ARU
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