Many students staged a protest under the banner of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) in Hassan on Wednesday (June 17) to demand the dismissal of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the recent NEET-UG question paper leak.

The protesters, gathered in front of the Hemavathi Statue near Maharaja Park in the city, alleged that the government’s criminal negligence compelled lakhs of students to rewrite the examination. The NTA went ahead with the exam, though the allegations of the question paper leak surfaced before the test date.

Chaitra U.K., president of the AIDSO Hassan district unit, said that paper leaks had occurred in 2022 and 2024 as well. “There were arrests in connection with the leak in 2024. However, the system failed to identify the source of the problem and address it this year," she said.

AIDSO district secretary Sushma D.S. drew attention to the mushrooming of coaching institutions and exploitation of students. She said the NEET coaching industry’s annual revenue now exceeds ₹1 lakh crore, with families spending between ₹80,000 and ₹3 lakh per year.

AIDSO office-bearers Abhishek, Shreshtha, Shivu, Abhishek and others were present.