Everyone wants you to pick a side on the CJP’s NEET protests. I won’t.

Editor’s note: The contributor has requested to remain anonymous.

To be honest, this piece is neither going to make the government supporters happy nor the CJP (Cockroach Janta Party) protestors. Consequently, it won’t go “viral” on social algorithms. But it has to be said.

I am an NRI. I have lived in a foreign country for years. It’d be a lie to say that the ongoing CJP protests have not affected me as someone who was born and raised in India. I see it on my social feeds, I see it on WhatsApp groups, we talk about it on the dining table. 

There’s a rhetoric out there that you’re either with the student protestors or with the government. People are losing friends, family members, followers over this and whatnot. I think it is appreciable for people to have principles and be willing to draw a line in the sand for it. 

But some people say there are only two sides to it. I disagree. I think there’s another element to this debate. 

The NEET exam leak happened. Unfortunate, infuriating even. Every few months, every few years, a leak for a competitive exam happens. An investigation found 45 major examination leaks over two decades. But there are conflicting numbers available, especially as information on the first decade of the 2000s is not that easily available. It makes you glad that you’re not a part of that system anymore.

Now here’s where things get confusing for me. A re-exam took place, and people were arrested (13 to be exact).

To be clear, this isn’t to suggest the government’s response was perfect. Many students felt it was delayed, and many continue to believe it doesn’t go far enough. Those criticisms are entirely valid.

But it’s also worth acknowledging that there has been an institutional response in recent years. The government introduced the Anti-Paper Leak Act, 2024, with tougher penalties for organised exam fraud, reshuffled the NTA’s leadership, handed the investigation to the CBI, set up a reform committee headed by former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, and announced measures including tighter exam security, a gradual move towards computer-based testing and free re-tests for affected candidates. The latter two happened in the NEET re-exam.

The real question isn’t whether anything was done—it’s whether these reforms will be enough to restore trust.

On the other hand, it was disappointing to see a Supreme Court judge refer to the youth of the country as “cockroaches”. But I was also really delighted to see Gen Z go ahead and claim the term as a badge of honour. Their demands, extremely genuine. Except for the resignation of the Minister of Education. 

I will come to that in a second, but let me preface this by saying honestly, I loved seeing the videos and the young generation’s sense of humour going into the protests. But having been a product of this system, I also realised the enormity and importance of their demands. 

But it made me wonder: how does the resignation of a minister fix a deeper rot within our country? Something that has been ongoing for decades. He’d just be replaced by another.

And leaks will happen – history is proof.

You may at this point say, but about 12 students committed suicide due to the NEET paper leak. We know the pressure of exams (competitive or otherwise) is insane in India. Would it be prudent to say the leak drove them to commit suicide? 

According to the latest NCRB data, India’s suicide issue stretches far beyond NEET. The country recorded 14,488 student suicides in 2024, accounting for 8.5% of all suicides. 

We all know/have heard stories of students committing suicide in India over Class 10 board exams, or less. We all have heard similar stories at coaching institutes in Kota. Hell, they made a whole web series about it.  

At what point do we look inwards as parents and say ‘maybe I should go easy on my child?’ That maybe it is hard for more than 17 students to compete for one spot in a medical college? 

Next is the issue of corruption, not only in officials but also in ourselves. Yes, paper leaks happen, but they get sold because there’s a market for it. Parents who will pay lakhs of rupees to secure a spot in a coveted educational institute. These are the parents of the very students who are out on the streets demanding transparency and accountability. And unfortunately, parents of those kids who commit suicide.

Then there’s the bigger picture question. Taking nothing away from the merits of the students’ ask, what about reservation?

Yes, we are rightly concerned about meritorious students’ places being taken away by someone who would have scored less otherwise. But what about students who score higher than those benefiting from reservation? Would the same logic not apply to them? This is especially true for NEET PG, where the students have already benefitted from the system by earning an MBBS. 

Yes, we could argue about the merits of reservations, but deep down we all know the system is deeply flawed in many ways. Thus, my point: a resignation won’t fix a broken system. 

Now, coming to the government. I think it missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meaningfully engage with a generation that will make up the majority of voters for the next couple of decades. While some people question whether this youth movement is organic or not, you can’t change the fact that many genuine students are part of this movement.

To me, this movement wasn’t just about a single leaked paper but a collective frustration of individuals — especially youth — struggling under immense pressure, competing for the same ill-paying jobs, and a system that has failed them at every turn. 

The government’s fast-track courts and “more strict” actions have come a little too late.

The youngsters of this country are not fringe elements to be lathicharged, tear-gassed and more. What they need is empathetic leadership that truly tries to fix or maybe completely overhaul (wishful thinking?) these systems. 

I am afraid without it, these genuine protests will continue to be hijacked for political gains, not just by leaders in the country but also by separatist organisations (not fake news or toolkit propaganda, straight from the horse’s mouth). And who will lose in that situation?

The students. The government. Indians.