Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked India’s Gen Z – a term that describes those born between 1997 and 2012 – to take inspiration from the Nepal and Bangladesh protests and help bring the culprits of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question papers leak to justice. Hours later, AAP leader Atishi has clarified that her boss meant peaceful protests, not a Dhaka, Kathmandu-like insurrection.
In an interview, the former Delhi education minister said the AAP doesn’t have a history of violent protests.
“I don’t think there is any question about suggesting violence. I think that the Aam Aadmi Party, before that India Against Corruption, has always stood for peaceful protest,” Atishi told NDTV.
“But the fact is that this Gen Z is having their rights, their lives, their dreams and hopes shattered. And if they don’t come out on the streets, they don’t protest, they don’t raise their voices against those responsible, the same thing will keep happening again and again,” she added, referring to the NEET-UG cancellation.
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Atishi alleged that NEET aspirants are subjected to stringent rules and checks when they appear for the exam, but there are no rules for those who organise it.
“The number of rules that exist for students who have to take these exams, the kind of clothes you can wear, the kind of water bottle you can carry, the kind of pens you can carry, all the rules seem to exist for these aspirants, and no rule seems to exist for those who are conducting the exams,” she said.
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Atishi said her friend’s daughter, a NEET candidate, has had a nervous breakdown.
“I know someone personally, a friend who called me to say that her daughter, who had given the NEET exam once, found out about the re-exam and has had a nervous breakdown today and has had to be taken to the hospital. Who is responsible for what these 20 lakh children are going through?” she said.
The NEET exam, which took place on May 3, was cancelled as “guess papers” that resembled the original question papers had been found circulating through online and offline channels. The fresh date for the exam hasn’t been announced yet.
The CBI, which is probing the paper leak, has arrested five persons and conducted searches at multiple locations across the country.
What Arvind Kejriwal said
Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday addressed a press conference and urged Gen Z to ensure that those behind the NEET paper leak are brought to justice.
“If Gen Z in countries like Bangladesh and Nepal could change the government, then Indian youth could also ensure accountability in cases of paper leaks,” he said.
Scores of people were killed in separate student-led protests in Bangladesh and Nepal in 2024 and 2025, respectively, leading to the ouster of their incumbent governments.
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