Ahmedabad, May 14 (PTI) Members of the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Thursday staged a protest and waved black flags at Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan demanding his resignation over the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper leak case.
The protest took place outside the campus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), where Pradhan had arrived to chair a Coordination Forum Meeting of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
The NEET (UG) 2026 exam for admissions in undergraduate medical courses held on May 3 was cancelled by the National Testing Agency on Tuesday amid allegations of paper leak. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five people so far. The cancellation of the entrance exam has left over 22 lakh medical aspirants in uncertainty.
“NSUI members gathered outside the campus after learning about the minister’s presence there and waved black flags when his car was leaving the institute premises. We demand that Pradhan take responsibility for the paper leak and tender his resignation immediately,” Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthivrajsinh Kathvadia said.
Meanwhile, a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release said Pradhan chaired the Coordination Forum Meeting convened by the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education in collaboration with IIMA. Pradhan serves as chairman of the Coordination Forum of IIMs.
The meeting was attended by chairpersons of Boards of Governors of IIMs, directors of IIMs, and senior officials from the Department of Higher Education as well as the governments of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, it said.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the role of IIMs in shaping ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, with focus on student welfare, institutional coordination, academic excellence, innovation and global competitiveness, the release said.
India’s IIMs have emerged as strong catalysts of nation-building and economic transformation while also becoming global models of excellence in leadership and management education, it quoted Pradhan as saying.
“By nurturing innovation ecosystems, adapting to emerging global challenges and fostering values-driven education, IIMs could evolve into national assets contributing significantly to India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation,” Pradhan added.
Department of Higher Education secretary Vineet Joshi highlighted the importance of the Coordination Forum in strengthening collaboration and institutional coordination among IIMs.
The deliberations also covered issues such as the contribution of IIMs towards Viksit Bharat goals, aligning undergraduate entrance examinations with future requirements and developing standard operating procedures for MBA admissions.
Discussions were also held for inter-IIM student migration and fee refund policies, exposure opportunities for young faculty and implementation of reservation rosters for faculty and non-faculty members, the release said. PTI PJT PD BNM
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