Students’ demands echo in Hyderabad’s streets during protest against NEET leak, Jauhar University demolition

Dozens of demonstrators took to the streets near Charminar in Hyderabad on Friday (July 24, 2026) to protest against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak and express solidarity with students demonstrating in the national capital. They also condemned the proposed demolition of buildings at the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Uttar Pradesh.

The protest was led by the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) and saw participants carrying placards with slogans such as “Students Need Classrooms, Not Chaos” and “Justice for Students, Justice for Jauhar”. Soon after Friday prayers concluded at the Mecca Masjid, many other young men joined the peaceful demonstration, raising slogans against what they described as the government’s anti-student policies. They also sought the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.