The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it has no information regarding allegations of foreign funding or external involvement in the ongoing protests over the alleged NEET paper leak in New Delhi and other parts of the country. The clarification came during the ministry's weekly media briefing after questions were raised about claims linking overseas funding to the demonstrations.
Responding to a question on the matter, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "I have no information to share on this matter." The ministry did not provide any additional comments or indicate that it was conducting any inquiry into the allegations. The statement neither confirmed nor supported claims of foreign funding connected to the protests.
The protests, led by the satirical political group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began on June 6 after the party's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, returned to India from the United States. The movement gained wider national attention after climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation with an indefinite hunger strike on June 28. Wangchuk ended his fast on July 23 after receiving written assurances from the Centre on key demands.
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According to protest organisers, the primary demand remains the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and broader examination-related concerns. Speaking on Friday, Abhijeet Dipke reiterated that the protesters believe the minister's resignation is essential to resolving the agitation. Student groups have also continued to demand greater accountability and reforms to strengthen the integrity of public examinations.
Separately, the Centre addressed misinformation circulating online regarding the protests. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) said an artificial intelligence-generated video falsely portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatening protesting students was fabricated. The fact-checking agency clarified that the Prime Minister had made no such statement and identified the clip as a deepfake intended to mislead the public.
The alleged NEET paper leak has sparked nationwide protests and political debate over examination security and accountability. While the government has announced discussions on examination reforms and measures to strengthen safeguards against paper leaks, demonstrations have continued in several parts of the country, with students seeking greater transparency and systemic changes in the conduct of competitive examinations.
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