Actor Jyotika tells Dharmendra Pradhan to 'step down' over exam irregularities

Actor Jyotika on Saturday urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down over the alleged NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities. As the Cockroach Janata Party-led students' protest against exam irregularities gathers momentum, the 47-year-old said she stands with students, accountability, democratic values and reforms in education.The System actor is among several film personalities who have spoken in support of the protesters. For nearly a month, students have been demonstrating at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The movement has since spread beyond the capital, with calls for Pradhan's resignation growing louder after the July 20 march towards Parliament was met with a lathi charge and tear gas by security forces.Sharing a note, Jyotika wrote, "Step down Dharmendra Pradhan. Resign. I stand with the students and future of our nation! I stand with accountability! I stand for a democratic India! I stand for a reformed education! Sonam Wangchuk. Abhijeet Dipke and Saurav Das, as mothers we want to raise our children to be like you (sic)."Addressing young Indians, she added, "Proud of your Gen Z's for being unfiltered. You have proved that together 'WE' are India. Thank you for breaking the pressure. Thank you for making us fearless. CJP (sic)." The protest and the demandStudents have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for nearly a month, demanding Pradhan's resignation over the alleged NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities. They have also called for sweeping reforms to India's education system. Activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the movement and began a hunger strike to press for the demands. On July 20, the CJP called for a 'Sansad Chalo' march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament. The march drew thousands to the protest site, but security forces used a lathi charge and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd moving towards Parliament. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show several protesters being beaten. Delhi Police, however, said force became necessary after demonstrators turned violent and resorted to stone-pelting.Support from the film industryJyotika joined Alia Bhatt, Salman Khan, Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem, Sonakshi Sinha, Prakash Raj, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Amol Parasher and Swara Bhasker among those who have voiced support for the students. Other figures from the film industry who have backed the protest or criticised the police action include Varun Dhawan, Shabana Azmi, R Madhavan, Kamal Haasan, Anupam Kher, Dulquer Salmaan, Imran Khan, Richa Chadha, Revathy, Tovino Thomas, Abhay Deol, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and Hollywood actor John Cusack.Actor-host Shekhar Suman recently also spoke about the police action on student protesters at Jantar Mantar. On his show, he said the visuals of students being beaten had left him deeply shaken and that he had not slept for three days and had only cried. He said he stood with the students and questioned the action against young people protesting against injustice and demanding a healthy education system.Latest developmentsWangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike in solidarity with the students for more than 20 days, ended his fast early on Friday morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said those accused in the NEET leak had been arrested and that the government was setting up fast-track courts to speed up the case. The Congress is also set to hold another protest in central Delhi on Saturday over the alleged NEET paper leak and the police action on student protesters.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Jul 25, 2026 11:51 IST