Actor Imran Khan demands accountability in NEET row amid Sonam Wangchuk's protest
Actor Imran Khan has backed students in the NEET row and endorsed calls for accountability. His post adds to support for Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike and wider exam reforms.
Actor Imran Khan has spoken out on the NEET controversy through an Instagram carousel post, backing calls for accountability and saying students deserve the same honesty and integrity that is expected of them during examinations. His post comes as support continues to grow for Sonam Wangchuk’s protest over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and wider reform of India’s examination system.
In his post, Imran said the issue should not be reduced to a political argument and voiced support for students whose efforts were affected by the controversy. His remarks came as Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar entered its 19th day on July 16, with concern also increasing over his health.
Sharing the post on Thursday, Imran wrote, “Following the conversations around the NEET scandal these past few weeks has been quite a ride... as the philosopher Mugatu so eloquently said, ‘I feel like I’m taking crazy pills’.” He added, “This isn’t a political debate... or at least, it shouldn’t be.”
In another slide, he called for accountability from the authorities overseeing examinations. “If we expect students to take exams with integrity, then they are also owed the same degree of accountability from the bodies which oversee the process. Surely this notion is true regardless of which football team (sorry... political party) you cheer for,” he wrote.
Imran ended his post by addressing students affected by the row. “From the millions of students whose honest efforts were invalidated with barely a shrug; to the millions more who stood up and continue to stand against injustice... I see you. You raise your voices for the best in us, and it is my honour to stand beside you,” he wrote.
Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer, education reformer and innovator, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28. He joined a protest launched by the Cockroach Janata Party, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. The protest has since grown into a larger movement seeking accountability and long-pending reforms in the way competitive examinations are conducted in India.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and have presented a five-point roadmap for changes to the examination system. They are also seeking Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide in the aftermath of the NEET controversy. The organisers have said repeated paper leak incidents over the years point to a system that has repeatedly failed students.
As his fast continued into its 19th day, Wangchuk’s health became increasingly fragile. Even so, he refused to end the hunger strike and asked people not to urge him to eat, but to join the peaceful Chalo Sansad march to Parliament on July 20, when the Monsoon Session begins. A Public Interest Litigation seeking urgent medical intervention has also been moved before the Delhi High Court, which has sought responses from the concerned authorities.
Imran is the latest film personality to support the students’ cause. Earlier, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah and Zeenat Aman voiced support for Wangchuk’s protest while urging him to end his fast and asking the government to open a dialogue. Others, including Abhay Deol, Swara Bhasker, Anurag Kashyap, Omi Vaidya, Atul Kulkarni, Sayaji Shinde, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Prakash Raj, have also backed the students or amplified Wangchuk’s appeal.
Actor Imran Khan has spoken out on the NEET controversy through an Instagram carousel post, backing calls for accountability and saying students deserve the same honesty and integrity that is expected of them during examinations. His post comes as support continues to grow for Sonam Wangchuk’s protest over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and wider reform of India’s examination system.
In his post, Imran said the issue should not be reduced to a political argument and voiced support for students whose efforts were affected by the controversy. His remarks came as Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar entered its 19th day on July 16, with concern also increasing over his health.
Sharing the post on Thursday, Imran wrote, “Following the conversations around the NEET scandal these past few weeks has been quite a ride... as the philosopher Mugatu so eloquently said, ‘I feel like I’m taking crazy pills’.” He added, “This isn’t a political debate... or at least, it shouldn’t be.”
In another slide, he called for accountability from the authorities overseeing examinations. “If we expect students to take exams with integrity, then they are also owed the same degree of accountability from the bodies which oversee the process. Surely this notion is true regardless of which football team (sorry... political party) you cheer for,” he wrote.
Imran ended his post by addressing students affected by the row. “From the millions of students whose honest efforts were invalidated with barely a shrug; to the millions more who stood up and continue to stand against injustice... I see you. You raise your voices for the best in us, and it is my honour to stand beside you,” he wrote.
Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer, education reformer and innovator, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28. He joined a protest launched by the Cockroach Janata Party, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. The protest has since grown into a larger movement seeking accountability and long-pending reforms in the way competitive examinations are conducted in India.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and have presented a five-point roadmap for changes to the examination system. They are also seeking Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide in the aftermath of the NEET controversy. The organisers have said repeated paper leak incidents over the years point to a system that has repeatedly failed students.
As his fast continued into its 19th day, Wangchuk’s health became increasingly fragile. Even so, he refused to end the hunger strike and asked people not to urge him to eat, but to join the peaceful Chalo Sansad march to Parliament on July 20, when the Monsoon Session begins. A Public Interest Litigation seeking urgent medical intervention has also been moved before the Delhi High Court, which has sought responses from the concerned authorities.
Imran is the latest film personality to support the students’ cause. Earlier, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah and Zeenat Aman voiced support for Wangchuk’s protest while urging him to end his fast and asking the government to open a dialogue. Others, including Abhay Deol, Swara Bhasker, Anurag Kashyap, Omi Vaidya, Atul Kulkarni, Sayaji Shinde, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Prakash Raj, have also backed the students or amplified Wangchuk’s appeal.
Actor Imran Khan has spoken out on the NEET controversy through an Instagram carousel post, backing calls for accountability and saying students deserve the same honesty and integrity that is expected of them during examinations. His post comes as support continues to grow for Sonam Wangchuk’s protest over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and wider reform of India’s examination system.
In his post, Imran said the issue should not be reduced to a political argument and voiced support for students whose efforts were affected by the controversy. His remarks came as Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar entered its 19th day on July 16, with concern also increasing over his health.
Sharing the post on Thursday, Imran wrote, “Following the conversations around the NEET scandal these past few weeks has been quite a ride... as the philosopher Mugatu so eloquently said, ‘I feel like I’m taking crazy pills’.” He added, “This isn’t a political debate... or at least, it shouldn’t be.”
In another slide, he called for accountability from the authorities overseeing examinations. “If we expect students to take exams with integrity, then they are also owed the same degree of accountability from the bodies which oversee the process. Surely this notion is true regardless of which football team (sorry... political party) you cheer for,” he wrote.
Imran ended his post by addressing students affected by the row. “From the millions of students whose honest efforts were invalidated with barely a shrug; to the millions more who stood up and continue to stand against injustice... I see you. You raise your voices for the best in us, and it is my honour to stand beside you,” he wrote.
Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer, education reformer and innovator, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28. He joined a protest launched by the Cockroach Janata Party, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. The protest has since grown into a larger movement seeking accountability and long-pending reforms in the way competitive examinations are conducted in India.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and have presented a five-point roadmap for changes to the examination system. They are also seeking Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide in the aftermath of the NEET controversy. The organisers have said repeated paper leak incidents over the years point to a system that has repeatedly failed students.
As his fast continued into its 19th day, Wangchuk’s health became increasingly fragile. Even so, he refused to end the hunger strike and asked people not to urge him to eat, but to join the peaceful Chalo Sansad march to Parliament on July 20, when the Monsoon Session begins. A Public Interest Litigation seeking urgent medical intervention has also been moved before the Delhi High Court, which has sought responses from the concerned authorities.
Imran is the latest film personality to support the students’ cause. Earlier, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah and Zeenat Aman voiced support for Wangchuk’s protest while urging him to end his fast and asking the government to open a dialogue. Others, including Abhay Deol, Swara Bhasker, Anurag Kashyap, Omi Vaidya, Atul Kulkarni, Sayaji Shinde, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Prakash Raj, have also backed the students or amplified Wangchuk’s appeal.
