Actor Poonam Pandey visited the protest site at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday, extending support to the students demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-UG paper leak, and appealed to the government to hear out the protesters.
Speaking to ANI at the site, Pandey said, "The entire internet and all of India have been echoing with and clamouring about this protest. The public, these students are simply demanding an answer, and I have come here for that very reason; I genuinely request the government to please listen to them. They haven't eaten. Sonam Wangchuk is already unwell."
#WATCH | Delhi: At the protest site at Jantar Mantar, Actor Poonam Pandey says, "The entire internet and all of India have been echoing with and clamoring about this protest. The public, these students are simply demanding an answer, and I have come here for that very reason; I… pic.twitter.com/hLnjB7pBtE
— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2026
She said the core issue behind the agitation had been overshadowed by unrelated debates online.
"Amidst everything we are seeing on the internet, the issue has been severely sidetracked. All sorts of things have crept in. The whole of India is shaken and becoming divided. Let us not do that. This protest began because of the NEET exam paper leak. Today, the issue has shifted to something else," she said.
Pandey also expressed concern over a planned march to Parliament, adding, "I am just praying that the students don't suffer any further. They are already in great distress."
ALSO READ: Delhi Tightens Security At Jantar Mantar, Imposes Prohibitory Orders Ahead Of Parliament March
The protest at Jantar Mantar has been led since early June by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, demanding Pradhan's resignation over the 2026 NEET paper leak and alleged CBSE On-Screen Marking irregularities that affected lakhs of students.
Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation in solidarity in early June and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, deteriorating to the point that he was shifted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on July 18.
Organisers have said the planned march to Parliament will go ahead despite Wangchuk's hospitalisation.
ALSO READ: Sonam Wangchuk To Remain At Safdarjung Hospital As Delhi HC Denies Interim Relief
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