PM Modi Says He Forgives Students

Who Abused Him During NEET Protests

Report By Y-Trendz

Prime Minister calls protesters "misled children" as government faces pressure over police crackdown on youth-led demonstrations

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he forgives students who directed abusive language at him during last month's protests over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak, describing the young protesters as misguided rather than deserving of prosecution. The remarks, delivered in a video message posted to his social media accounts late on Friday, July 31, come amid the most significant political crisis of Modi's third term as prime minister.

What Modi said

In the video, Modi said that some young people had used language during the protests that he described as undignified for a civilised society, and said the abuse had targeted both him and his late mother. He characterized the behaviour as an error of judgment that comes with youth and one that could still be corrected. Modi added that he understood the anger present in society and acknowledged what he called a cultural shock that young women had used such language, while saying this was a moment to guide them toward what he called the right path rather than pursue legal action against them. He appealed to the public for restraint, saying that pursuing student protesters through the courts would not resolve the underlying issues, and said directly that he wanted to forgive them.

The video was Modi's fifth public message on the matter in the span of a week, and it came a day after the government skipped a scheduled parliamentary session in which the opposition had demanded that both Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah explain who had authorized the use of pellet guns and other force against student protesters.

Background: the NEET controversy and Cockroach Janta Party protests

The unrest traces back to May, when India's medical entrance exam, NEET, was voided nationwide after allegations that its questions had been leaked, forcing more than two million students to retake the exam the following month. The episode fuelled the rapid growth of a youth-led protest movement that has taken the name Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which organized demonstrations demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the exam irregularities. Pradhan ultimately resigned following days of sustained protests.

Large demonstrations took place in multiple Indian cities, including at Jantar Mantar and other sites in New Delhi, with clashes reported between protesters and police in several locations. Reports indicate that protesters attempting to march toward Parliament were met with tear gas, pellet shotguns and baton charges. Some protesters described being detained and mistreated by police during the crackdown.

Legal action against protesters and online backlash

Even as Modi spoke of forgiveness, authorities have pursued legal cases against individual protesters over remarks made about the prime minister on social media. In one case, a young woman in Noida was booked under provisions of India's Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to intentional insult, incitement of public mischief, and defamation, following a complaint filed by a resident of Ghaziabad. Similar cases have reportedly been filed against other young protesters in recent days.

The protests and their aftermath have also been marked by a wave of online harassment directed at demonstrators, including women, with reports that some individuals — including supporters aligned with the ruling party — doxxed protesters and issued threats on social media. The scale of this online backlash has drawn criticism from opposition figures and civil society voices, who argue it undercuts the prime minister's stated message of reconciliation.

Opposition reaction

Modi's message of forgiveness has drawn a skeptical response from opposition politicians. Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera was among those who pushed back publicly, suggesting that it is Modi, not the protesting students, who owes the public an apology over the government's handling of the episode. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also criticized the government's response to the protests, including the legal cases filed against demonstrators.

What happens next

The political fallout from the NEET controversy continues to unfold, with the government facing continued pressure to explain the security response to the protests and to clarify whether the legal cases already filed against individual protesters will be pursued or withdrawn in light of Modi's stated wish to forgive them. Parliament's opposition benches are expected to continue pressing the government on the issue in upcoming sessions.