AISA and AIDSO condemn police lathi charge on students in New Delhi

Expressing solidarity with the ‘Chalo Sansad or Parliament March’ in Delhi, around 1,500 people participated in a protest organised by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) Karnataka at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, on Monday.

The protesters strongly condemned “the brutal attack on peaceful protesters by the Delhi Police and the illegal abduction of Sonam Wangchuk”. They also highlighted that many students and youth were severely injured due to being repressed by the police.

“The NEET-2026 paper leak is the latest in a series of examination scandals that have exposed the complete failure of our examination system to conduct fair, transparent, and credible examinations. There have been hundreds of cases of paper leaks and irregularities in different examinations over the past few years. Lakhs of students have repeatedly been forced to bear the consequences of institutional incompetence, corruption, and administrative failure,” they alleged.

“The forcible removal of Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar by the police reveals the deeply authoritarian response of the government to peaceful democratic dissent. A peaceful Gandhian protest was met not with dialogue but with repression. Such actions raise serious concerns about the shrinking democratic space available to citizens seeking justice through non-violent means,” they added.

Students also staged a protest at Bangalore University under the leadership of All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), condemning the police for resorting to a lathi charge and using tear gas on students.

Addressing the protest, AIDSO State treasurer Subhash B.J. said, “Even though the march of students and youth to the Parliament in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, was announced well in advance, the police denied permission. Protesting is a fundamental right in a democratic society.”