Two students returning home after the anti-NEET paper leak protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar allegedly faced assault after being stopped and questioned about their names, religion and address.
A video circulating on social media purportedly shows Hindu nationalist leader Satyam Pandit confronting the two students. According to claims shared online, the students were verbally abused and slapped before the incident was recorded and posted on social media. The allegations have not been independently verified.
In an interview with Times Now, Satyam Pandit was questioned about the alleged assault on the students.
When asked why he had beaten students heading to Jantar Mantar, Pandit replied, “Inki pitai pehle din hi honi chahiye thi, hum late ho gaye.”
Times Now editor Priyank Tripathi then pointed out that the students had been protesting peacefully for nearly a month and that the government had accepted the key demand of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which led the anti-NEET paper leak movement, resulting in Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
When asked who gave him the right to assault the students, Pandit responded, “Who gave the protesters the right to attack police, media personnel, and RAF?… I have no regret about what I have done; I am proud of my actions.”
He reiterated that he was proud of his actions and did not regret the alleged assault. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) condemned the incident and demanded strict action against Pandit.
Sharing the video on social media, the organisation wrote, “Two young men had come to Jantar Mantar to show their support, they were stopped on the way and beaten up. An appeal to the police to ensure immediate action against this individual.”
It was not immediately clear whether Delhi Police had registered a case in connection with the incident.