How strange is the wheel of politics. A leader who, during his student politics days nearly three decades ago, took to the streets against paper leaks and took police lathi blows, today the same leader stands at the center of irregularities and paper leak controversies in the NEET-UG examination as the Union Education Minister.
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Following the recent police action against students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding irregularities in the NEET exam and a transparent probe, an old anecdote from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s student life has once again come into the center of discussion.
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That movement of 1997: When Dharmendra Pradhan suffered fractures
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According to reports from ‘The New Indian Express’ and ‘The Economic Times’, in the year 1997 Dharmendra Pradhan was a student leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
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Gherao of the Secretariat: When the paper leak case surfaced in Odisha in 1997, Dharmendra Pradhan was protesting outside the Odisha government secretariat along with about 1,500 students.
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Police lathi-charge – To suppress the students’ protest, the police launched a fierce lathi-charge. In this incident, Dharmendra Pradhan was heavily beaten up by the police, which caused him severe fractures.
Early journey in ABVP: During 1994 to 1997, he remained the national secretary of ABVP and led several rallies and movements for student rights.
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Changed scenario after three decades – Education Minister at the center of opposition
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After nearly 30 years, circumstances have completely changed. The Dharmendra Pradhan who once fought against the system on the streets as a student leader is today the head of the country’s entire education system, meaning the Union Education Minister.
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Students’ protest at Jantar Mantar – Regarding anomalies in the NEET-UG examination, various student organizations are protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and are adamant on demanding the resignation of the Education Minister.
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Outrage over police action – The recent police action against protesting students at Jantar Mantar has further heated up this issue.
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Demand for accountability – The opposition and student organizations say that a leader who was once himself a victim of a paper leak should fix moral accountability today by understanding the pain of the students.
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This journey from Bhubaneswar (Odisha) in 1997 to Jantar Mantar (Delhi) in 2026 depicts that truth of politics where roles change with time. Today, the eyes of the entire country are focused on how Dharmendra Pradhan, who has tasted the flavor of struggle in his student life, resolves this national education crisis.
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