JSA statement on the 20th July March to Parliament to demand resignation of Education Minister and accountability in NEET and other examinationsA historic mobilisation by young people! Brutal police action! Need to support the continued movement! This is how 20th July 2026 will be remembered in India, especially by all those engaged in the struggle for a fair and humane education system — a system where no medical aspirant dies by suicide because the state failed to conduct exams without paper leaks, nor does a nine-year-old jump to her death because of bullying in the classroom. On this day we were witness to a historic rally of students and youth from not only Delhi NCR, but from all over the country, . Family members of some NEET aspirants who had taken their life also joined. Their clear demand: not only resignation of the Union Education Minister over the dysfunctional, commercialised and corrupt education system, but a change in this entire regime that had failed to provide good affordable education and employment to the youth of this country over the past decade. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and several student organisations of India, including AISA, SFI, AISF had given a Call for a March to Parliament on 20th July, the day its monsoon session was to begin. This call came in the course of a month of sit-in protest since 6th June at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, which included a 22-day indefinite hunger strike by social activist Sonam Wangchuk and more than six university students. Rallies and sit-ins took place also across many other cities, drawing large numbers of youth.JSA salutes the tenacity and courage of all those who were on hunger-strike for over 20 days; and also that of the people during the March, particularly their non-violent posture and bravery in the face of the dastardly violence unleashed to silence them. It is extremely heartening to see that within a day these protestors are back on their feet at the very same Jantar Mantar from where they were viciously thrown out.JSA has expressed its solidarity with these youth and released a statement detailing the serious distortions in medical education and the NEET process, and urgent steps required to reform this system to make it efficient and equitable. Many of the issues raised at this protest overlapped with the concerns that have been raised by JSA since long, such as the privatisation of medical education, the conduct of entrance examinations, harassment of health workers including MBBS students, and discrimination within health facilities.Several JSA members and constituent organisations of JSA participated in the 20th July March to Parliament. Unfortunately, at the protest venue we were unable to group together as a team, since the government had deployed signal jammers to disrupt internet access and phone calls, preventing communication over about a 2-km radius. The extremely large congregation and the many barricades placed all around the protest site also created major barriers to movement around the protest site. Reaching the protest avenue was also disrupted, by closing off all the nearest metro stations.Despite such repressive measures, tens of thousands of energetic young people kept pouring in , carrying placards with creative slogans, conveying their constitutional rights to protest, to good education, highlighting the failures of the present government. This large-scale mobilisation, both by organisations and catalysed through social media, culminated in a set of massive marches towards Parliament. However, in the afternoon the police took to brutally attacking these peaceful marchers, at multiple locations, including the Jantar Mantar site. This violence by the police continued until late evening. Many people were lathi-charged, including those who had fallen while being chased by the police. A large number of tear gas shells were also fired. Our sources have confirmed that a significant number of protesters were admitted to emergency wards, with some in the ICU. In Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, at least 65 persons were treated for serious injuries, 15 admitted, and a few remain critical. Another very disturbing fact is that the police also beat up several doctors and healthcare workers who were attending to injured protestors. This is a brazen violation of the Geneva Conventions that protect healthcare workers, as well as those who are sick, wounded and cannot fight. By attacking healthcare workers, the police also denied the injured their right to emergency care.Yet another grave concern is that many of the activists facing this police brutality mentioned that several persons beating them up were not in uniform, had no official police badges. Yet, unarmed young people expressing their constitutional rights were ruthlessly attacked with impunity by these plainclothes men, who must have been provided protection from the highest levels. We are shocked and deeply concerned that since several months the government has refused to have any kind of communication with the youth on their rightful demands. Instead of abiding by democratic norms of dialogue and taking responsibility for its failures, the government has only resorted to completely undemocratic behaviour, by first compelling Sonam Wangchuk and many others to sit on hunger-strike, and now escalating its repressive response by resorting to such direct attacks on the youth, on the streets of the capital city of our country.JSA condemns in strongest possible terms this police brutality on thousands of peaceful and defenceless students and young people, as well as many healthcare workers. We demand urgent action against those who were involved in this barbaric attack on students, as well as responsibility from all the concerned superiors in commanding positions. At this historic juncture, we call upon all health activists and democratic organisations to join hands with the emerging youth and social movements. We need to rise together against the oppressive systems and policies which the young people of India are rightfully challenging, and work for alternative governance which the people of this country are entitled to, and urgently require.