Mass protests are underway across India demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations related to the NEET-UG question paper leak. Before becoming a minister, Pradhan was a prominent student leader who first gained attention in 1997 for leading protests in Odisha against exam paper leaks when Congress leader Janaki Ballabh Patnaik was the state’s chief minister.

According to a 2021 report by The New Indian Express, Pradhan, then a leader of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), led around 1,500 students in Bhubaneswar to protest the leak. During the demonstration, police baton-charged the crowd, leaving Pradhan seriously injured. His activism during that period helped him later establish a strong position within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He became Union Education Minister in 2021 after previously holding portfolios in Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Skill Development.

The 1997 protest has resurfaced in public discussion amid the current NEET-UG controversy. While opposition parties are calling for Pradhan’s resignation, the government has stated it is ready to discuss the issue in Parliament.