Students in Patna marched from Gandhi Maidan toward the chief minister's residence to protest an alleged NEET paper leak [1].
The demonstration highlights growing frustration over the integrity of national medical entrance exams and the perceived lack of accountability within the federal education system.
The march occurred on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 [1]. Protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following allegations that the NEET examination paper had been leaked [1], [2].
Police blocked the route to the chief minister's residence using barricades and other crowd-control measures [3]. The situation turned violent as authorities deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd [1], [2].
Further unrest followed the initial march. A Bihar bandh took place on July 25, 2026 [4]. In the early hours of Monday, July 27, 2026, police made several arrests in connection with the protests and the bandh [4].
Family members of those detained have since urged the government to release students they describe as innocent [4]. While some reports link the arrests specifically to the July 25 bandh, other accounts tie the unrest to the broader NEET outrage [1], [4].
“Students in Patna marched from Gandhi Maidan toward the chief minister's residence”
The escalation from a targeted protest over exam integrity to a regional bandh and subsequent arrests suggests a deepening crisis of trust in India's competitive examination process. By demanding the resignation of a federal minister, students are signaling that they view the leak not as an isolated administrative failure, but as a systemic issue requiring high-level political accountability.
