New Delhi: As the Jantar Mantar protest site of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other outfits  saw youngsters turn out in huge numbers on Monday (July 20) for the planned march to the parliament, protests seeking the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accountability from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government for incidents such as repeated question paper leaks have also spread into other cities across India.

Bengaluru

In Bengaluru, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Freedom Park on Sunday (July 19) wherein people from different walks of life including college students, young professionals and civil society members carried placards and chanted slogans against the Union government, reported Deccan Herald.

"We came here because this is not just about one person or one exam. If students remain silent today, tomorrow every institution will lose credibility," Apoorva R, a postgraduate student participating in the protest, told the publication.

The protesters also expressed their anger over the Delhi police forcefully removing climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar amid his indefinite hunger strike.

"This protest should not remain limited to NEET. Farmers, labourers, Dalits and several other sections are facing systemic challenges. Democracy survives only when citizens continue to question those in power," said actor and activist Kishore, who joined the protest.

Mumbai

Earlier, hundreds of people had gathered at the Shivaji Park ground in central Mumbai on Sunday to express their anger over Wangchuk’s forceful shifting to Safdarjung Hospital from the Jantar Mantar protest site, reported Indian Express.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who also joined the protest, called for a bigger agitation against the Union government.

Later, the Mumbai Police registered an FIR against the organisers of the protest held at Shivaji Park for ‘unlawful assembly’. The police said that no permission was granted to carry out the demonstration.

Earlier, the police under the BJP-led government in Maharashtra had registered two FIRs in connection with the protests that were carried out in south Mumbai on Saturday (July 18) in support of Wangchuk.

Purnia

In Bihar’s Purnia, the Congress and its youth wing the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Sunday took out a “mashal julus (procession with torches)” to protest against what it termed the “corrupt and failed education system of the Modi government” and demanded the resignation of Union education minister Pradhan.

The protest was under the Congress’s initiative of Chhatron ki Goonj, wherein the party is reaching out to students all across the country and raising issues including question paper leak and flaws in the education system.

Bhubaneswar

In Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, members of the National Student Union of India (NSUI) – the student wing of the Congress – staged a gherao of Union education minister Pradhan’s house on Sunday.

Sikar

In Rajasthan's Sikar, the IYC took out a massive torch march, with the protesters demanding the resignation of Union education minister Pradhan. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra was among those leaders who participated in the march against question paper leaks.

Kota

A similar procession was also taken out in Kota, one of the most popular coaching cities and from where the Chhatron ki Goonj initiative was flagged off by Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Ranchi

The NSUI also took out a torch march in Ranchi, demanding accountability over the repeated instances of question paper leaks and also calling for the sacking of Pradhan.

Similar marches were organised by the Congress, NSUI and IYC under the Chhatron Ki Goonj initiative in several other cities including Jodhpur, Indore and Gwalior.

In many of these cities, along with leaders from opposition parties such as the Congress, members of the public, civil society and students too joined the protests.

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