Actor Dia Mirza has voiced her disappointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the nationwide exam paper leak protests, saying it lacked compassion. The actor questioned why there was not a single word for the grieving parents who lost their children, and for the students who spent weeks on a hunger strike, or the resilience of young protesters demanding their rights.
Event Context
On Friday, Dia took to Instagram to respond to PM Modi’s address on the NEET paper leak controversy, criticising his remarks for what she described as a lack of empathy towards the students and families impacted by the ongoing crisis.
In her note, Dia wrote, “Not one word of empathy for the parents who have lost their children, for the children who have died, for the incredible resilience of students demanding their rights, for Sonamji and the students who were on a hunger strike for weeks. How hard can it be Sir?”
The actor also questioned the delay in the Prime Minister’s response, writing, “It took 47 days for you to say something. And now that you have, you have said nothing. Nothing that can heal the millions of hearts that are broken”.
The actor shared the note with a heartbroken emoji as the caption.
The swelling Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar prompted PM Modi to issue a rare video message late Friday, acknowledging the scale of the issue and announcing that the Centre will move a bill providing for fast-track courts and stricter punishment for those involved.
The assurance was followed by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ending his hunger strike, who made the decision after meeting Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at Medanta Hospital. Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the CJP protest on June 28, had been on a hunger strike to push the demands of the protesters of government accountability in exam irregularities as well as education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Addressing the concerns of students and parents, Modi said, “Friends, I know that paper leak is not a minor issue. It has caused immense pain to lakhs of students and their parents.”
The Prime Minister said the government had taken several steps over the past two-and-a-half months against those responsible for leaks. PM Modi said the government’s foremost priority was ensuring that students did not lose an academic year because of the controversy. “Our most important responsibility was to ensure that students did not lose one academic year. Conducting the examinations at the earliest was therefore essential,” he shared. He added that the government worked to complete the examinations for around 22 lakh students in the shortest possible time.
For nearly a month, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protest continued at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, with activist Sonam Wangchuk and some other students joining the movement and going on a hunger strike. The students are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities. They are also calling for comprehensive reforms to the education system.
Meanwhile, PM Modi also issued a statement saying the accused in NEET leak have been arrested and the government is setting up fast track courts to expedite the case.
