New Delhi, Jul 23: Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday urged supporters of the ongoing students’ movement to remain peaceful, saying he was pained by reports that “anti-social elements” were trying to provoke violence elsewhere while the protest at Jantar Mantar remained “peaceful”.

Marking the 26th day of his indefinite hunger strike, Wangchuk said in a post on X, “Peace and only peace is my way.”

“While at Jantar Mantar the protests remain peaceful, I’m pained to learn that elsewhere some antisocial elements are taking advantage of the peaceful protests to provoke violence,” he said.

“No matter what the other side does our response must only be flowers. Please keep this tradition at all costs,” Wangchuk added.

His appeal came days after the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, during which the Delhi Police stopped thousands of protesters from marching towards Parliament by using tear gas and baton charges. Protesters have also alleged the use of pellet guns and tasers.

In the aftermath of the crackdown, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) alleged that attempts were being made to portray the student movement as violent and to link it with incidents elsewhere in the national capital. The allegations were rejected by the police.

Earlier in the day, Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo also defended the protesters, saying it was “deeply painful” to see students being portrayed negatively.

In another post on X later in the day, Angmo praised the conduct of the young protesters.

“Watching India’s Gen Z over the past few days has filled me with hope,” she said, adding that they had “looked after strangers like family, shared food and water, cleaned and swept their own protest sites, cared for the elderly, sung Jana Gana Mana and songs of hope together, stayed disciplined under immense provocation” and kept the movement alive through “countless acts of selfless service”.

“If this is the generation we have raised, India’s future is in safe hands. Indian Gen Z… you are not just the future of this country. You are role models to the world,” she said, while thanking parents for raising “compassionate, responsible and courageous citizens”.

The CJP-led agitation began on June 20, demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Wangchuk, who joined the agitation on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then, is currently admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. He has offered to end his fast if the Centre assures that no punitive action will be taken against peaceful protesters who participated in the movement.

New Delhi, Jul 23: India on Thursday strongly rejected comments made by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister at the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum, accusing Islamabad of misusing a multilateral platform to spread “falsehoods” and divert attention from its record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.

In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “categorically rejects the baseless and unwarranted comments” made by the Pakistani leader.

“It is no surprise that a multilateral forum has once again been cynically exploited by Pakistan to amplify falsehoods, peddle state-sponsored disinformation, and divert attention from its own well-documented record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism,” he said.

Reiterating India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir, Jaiswal said the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh “have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India,” adding that “Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on the same.”

The MEA also reaffirmed India’s stand on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), saying the treaty would remain in abeyance in view of Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism.

“India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains consistent. IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the dastardly Pahalgam attack. IWT will continue to be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” Jaiswal said.

The spokesperson also condemned Pakistan for what he described as the continued propagation of “officially sponsored disinformation”, including the use of religious terminology such as “Fitna al-Hindustan.”

Calling it a futile attempt to divert attention from Pakistan’s domestic problems and its “well-proven role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks”, Jaiswal said Islamabad should stop misusing international forums and instead dismantle the terrorist infrastructure operating from its soil.

“Instead of pointing fingers at its neighbours and misusing international platforms, Pakistan would serve itself and its people far better by dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil and putting its own house in order,” he said.

New Delhi, Jul 23: Several leaders of the Congress and INDIA bloc parties on Thursday paid homage to all those students who took their lives due to paper leaks, and said they stood strongly behind the agitating students and their demands.

The opposition leaders first assembled at the residence of Rahul Gandhi on 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, and reiterated their full support for the demands of the protesting students.

From there, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, led them to the Gandhi Smriti on a bus.

On reaching there, Gandhi and the opposition MPs paid homage to the departed students with folded hands, and later sang the national anthem.

Gandhi carried a small copy of the Constitution with him while opposition MPs Mahua Majhi and Mahua Moitra were seen holding the national flag.

Some of the MPs also switched on torches on their mobile phones at the Gandhi Smriti.

Police had put up barricades on the Sunehri Bagh Road to stop the large number of Congress and Youth Congress workers from moving towards Tees January Marg, where the Congress and other leaders were headed from Rahul’s residence.

However, police later removed the barricades and allowed Gandhi and other MPs to move forward.

As they reached the end of the Sunehri Bagh Road and near Amit Shah’s residence, police stopped them and said they were not allowed to assemble there as BNS Section 163 was in force that prohibited the assembly of five or more persons in the area.

They, however, later allowed Gandhi and the others to move towards Tees January Marg.

In a post on X, Gandhi said that “no one can stop them from standing with the students of India”.

“In solidarity with the students, we wanted to take the opposition MPs to India Gate. But they refused. Then, we wanted to take them to Tees January Marg, Gandhi ji’s assassination spot.

“Now, they have put this bus in front of us so that we can’t get there. They put up this bus and barricades to stop us, preventing our movement. They are doing this drama.

“Obviously, they are scared. All of us MPs felt that if the students are on the streets, we should also be on the streets,” Gandhi said in a video from the bus headed towards Gandhi Smriti.

In an X post earlier, Gandhi said, “Right now, MPs and leaders of the INDIA bloc are peacefully heading to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg. We go to remember the students we lost – the children driven to take their own lives after the NEET paper leak.”

“And we go to stand with the students who lie injured today – beaten for peacefully demanding justice and accountability. India’s students are not alone. The entire Opposition stands with them and their demands,” Gandhi said.

The opposition MPs earlier deliberated on their strategy to strongly raise the issue of alleged police brutality from the streets to Parliament.

A source said that Gandhi is learnt to have addressed the opposition MPs on how to up the ante on the government on the students’ issues.

The leaders present at Gandhi’s residence included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, senior leaders P Chidambaram, Pramod Tiwari, K Suresh, Kumari Selja and Priniti Shinde.

RJD’s Sanjay Yadav, Sudhakar Singh and Misa Bharti, CPI-M’s John Brittas, RSP’s N K Premachandran, TMC’s Mahua Moitra and Saugata Roy, among others, were also present.

Mumbai, July 23: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday told protesters at Jantar Mantar that their struggle was a test even bigger than the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), urging them to persevere in the fight against injustice and corruption.

Addressing the gathering, Mufti said those participating in the protest had left behind their homes and families and were enduring the scorching heat for a larger cause. “All of you have left your homes and families and are sweating in this heat. This is the biggest NEET examination for you,” she said.

Describing the protest as an “exam” that must be passed honestly, Mufti said a successful movement would send a strong message against paper leaks and other alleged injustices.

“There should be no cheating in this exam. This is the paper you have to pass. If you pass this test and succeed here, no one will dare leak the NEET examination paper in the future,” she said.
She went on to criticise what she described as failures of governance, referring to alleged corruption and crimes against women.

“No one will dare steal donations meant for Lord Ram’s temple. No one will dare allow a 12-year-old girl to be gang-raped by 32 people,” she said.

Framing the protest as a fight to uphold constitutional values, Mufti said victory for the protesters would also be a victory for India’s democracy.

“If you emerge victorious, our Constitution will win. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution will win. Our democracy will win,” she said.

She said the struggle was also for parents who sacrifice to educate their children and for students whose lives had been affected by the NEET controversy.

“It will be a victory for those parents who sacrifice their own needs to pay for your coaching and educate you. It will also be a victory for those boys and girls who sacrificed their lives because of the NEET issue,” she added.At Jantar Mantar, Mehbooba Mufti calls protesters’ struggle the ‘biggest NEET exam’

New Delhi, Jul 23: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the welfare of the youth and their bright future is both the highest priority and the resolve of the Modi government.

In a message posted on X, the minister said the decision to expedite hearings and take stringent action against the guilty in paper leak cases through the establishment of fast-track courts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a reflection of this very commitment.

“This important step by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against those who toy with the future of the youth due to paper leaks will prove to be a milestone,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the PM said the welfare of the country’s youth is the top priority of his government and asserted that anyone trying to harm their future will not be spared.

Modi’s outreach to the youth came three days after thousands of students led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took part in the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march against irregularities in the NEET exam and to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

During the march, police resorted to lathi-charge and lobbed tear gas shells, injuring scores of students. Over 100 policemen were also injured while trying to stop the protest march.

In his message on X, Modi also said that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks.

“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! This is our top priority. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared,” he said.

The prime minister also said that he has directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps on the issue of paper leaks.

“This is an important step in the series of decisions being taken by the government to safeguard the interests of students,” he said.

Modi’s first public message on the NEET paper leaks came on Tuesday, when he spoke about the issue at a meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party.