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Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene immediately and end the alleged harassment and intimidation of student protesters who participated in a nationwide movement against the NEET paper leaks issue and the examination system.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Sandosh Kumar said the "massive and united movement" of students across the country, which he claimed ultimately compelled the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, was not the result of political manipulation but a genuine expression of anger among young people over repeated paper leaks, a "collapsing examination system" and the government's alleged indifference towards their future. "Even the tragic suicides of twenty promising young students did not move your government to act. It was only the extraordinary courage, determination and unity of India's youth that forced accountability," he said. The CPI MP from Keralam alleged that, instead of respecting the democratic voice of the protesting students, RSS workers, BJP leaders and others affiliated with the "right-wing ecosystem" were now targeting those who participated in the movement. "Videos have emerged showing visible participants of the movement, particularly those who documented the protests through reels and social media content, being surrounded and intimidated by right-wing mobs in the heart of Delhi at Connaught Place. Disturbingly, there are also reports of RSS workers visiting the homes of these students and pressuring their parents to force them to abandon their political views. This campaign of intimidation is an assault on democracy itself," the letter said. Sandosh Kumar also criticised Prime Minister Modi over his social media outreach to young people, drawing a contrast between his online engagement with Gen Z and the alleged intimidation of students by members of organisations ideologically aligned with the ruling establishment. "You upload late-night Instagram reels to project yourself as a leader connected to Gen Z. But while your social media seeks to speak to young people, your ideological brethren are busy threatening, intimidating and silencing them for expressing dissent. That is the difference between reel and reality. Young Indians cannot be invited into a carefully curated digital conversation while being punished for exercising their democratic rights in the real world. A government confident of its legitimacy does not permit ideological mobs to terrorise students whose only crime was demanding a fair education system and accountability," he said. The CPI MP urged the Prime Minister to take immediate steps to stop the alleged harassment and ensure the safety of students, both online and offline. "Ensure that every student is protected from intimidation, whether online or offline, and direct the authorities to withdraw all cases filed against the protesters without delay. India does not need manufactured perceptions of change. It needs real change that restores faith in public institutions, protects democratic freedoms and reassures every young citizen that their voice will be heard without fear," the letter read. (ANI)
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