Police Stop Congress March Over NEET Irregularities Using Water Cannons in Jaipur

Hundreds of Congress workers staged a protest march towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarters in Jaipur on Thursday over alleged irregularities in the NEET UG medical entrance examination, prompting police to deploy water cannons and barricades to disperse the crowd. The protest, led by Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra, saw party workers attempting to break through security barriers near Shaheed Smarak while demanding accountability over alleged lapses in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Demonstrators carried placards and raised slogans calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Tensions escalated when several protesters climbed barricades and tried to advance towards the BJP headquarters, leading police to use water cannons to control the situation and push back the crowd. During the dispersal, some Congress workers reportedly suffered minor injuries and were taken to SMS Hospital for treatment, according to party representatives.

As the confrontation intensified, senior Congress leaders, including former minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, staged a sit-in near the Police Commissionerate, while large groups of women and youth supporters also participated in the protest. Visuals from the site showed moments of chaos as workers were seen being lifted on shoulders even as water cannons were deployed.

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Congress leaders accused the central government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) of failing to maintain the integrity of the examination process, claiming that repeated irregularities had undermined public trust. They demanded the dissolution of the NTA and called for a court-monitored investigation into the alleged paper leak, which they said had impacted the futures of nearly 22 lakh students.

Police officials stated that barricades were erected to prevent protesters from reaching restricted areas, and that crowd control measures were used only after attempts were made to breach security lines. The situation was eventually brought under control, though political tensions continued over demands for accountability and reforms in the examination system.

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