Prayagraj: A diaper is stuck on one side of a cardboard placard and a red sketch pen is used to draw an arrow with a one-liner – “This is for NTA.” 

That’s how Lucknow-based activist, Mohd Suhail, chose to lend his support to the students’ protest organised at Eco Garden on June 12, 2026, as he held the diaper poster.

Mohd Suhail, a protester at Eco Garden in Lucknow. Photo: Akanksha Kumar.

National Testing Agency (NTA), an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Education, has been under the scanner following the alleged paper leak incident during the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-UG (NEET-UG) 2026 exam scheduled earlier in May this year. A total of 13 persons have been arrested so far by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from Delhi, Jaipur, Gurugram, Nasik, Pune, Latur and Ahilyanagar in connection with the paper leak case.

“In a sarcastic tone, all I want to say is that a diaper worth Rs 10 doesn’t leak but a paper (of an exam) costing Rs 1200 (as entrance fee) gets leaked. My only demand is that the education minister should take responsibility for this and tender his resignation”, said Suhail, while talking to The Wire.

A protester at Lucknow’s Eco Garden. Photo: Akanksha Kumar.

The education minister, here, refers to Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP-led) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government which has reportedly delegated the task of NEET papers’ transportation to the Indian Air Force for the re-exam. 

“It needs to be ensured that such paper leaks do not happen again. This isn’t some school-level exam rather a test conducted across the country, and it decides the future of kids. And so if paper leaks continue to happen like this, then who do we trust?” Suhail added.

Apart from NEET-related protesters, the agitation on Friday, led by student leaders, saw a turnout of thousands of candidates, mostly those who had either raised concerns about the alleged paper leak in Uttar Pradesh’s Lekhpal exam conducted on May 21, 2026 or were at the forefront demanding the release of scorecards for greater transparency with respect to the Uttar Pradesh Police Sub Inspector exam held between March 14-15, 2026.

The Wire spoke with some of these student protesters at Lucknow’s Eco Garden in order to understand what are their demands from the Adityanath government.

‘Govt can call us cockroach or any other insect since it can’t offer any job’

The Lucknow protest had support from the left-wing students’ organisation, All India Students’ Association (AISA) with the founder of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, also joining the protesters in a show of solidarity. 

The idea of this satirical party originated after May 15 when Chief Justice of India Surya Kant called youngsters “cockroaches”and “parasites” during a hearing while referring to a lawyer’s social media account. Later, the CJI issued a clarification saying that the media “misquoted” him.

“The government can call us........

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