Bhopal, June 13 (IANS) The Congress workers, including leaders of the Youth Congress and NSUI, were detained by the police in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal on Saturday when they attempted to stage a protest and displayed black flags towards the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during his visit to the Madhya Pradesh capital over National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination controversy.

Police carried out preventive detentions ahead of the Union Education Minister’s scheduled programmes in the city.

Among those detained were Bhopal Youth Congress President Amit Khatri, State Congress Vice-President Abhishek Parmar, State NSUI President Ashutosh Chowksey and several other party workers.

Some Congress leaders were taken into custody from their residences, while others were detained near the state party office.

The Congress has been protesting across the country over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.

Madhya Pradesh’s Leader of Opposition (LoP), Umang Singhar, criticised Pradhan’s remarks urging students to have faith in the examination system.

“Crores of students trusted the system and worked hard for their future, but repeated examination paper leaks have shaken that confidence. Before appealing to students to have faith, the Union Minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) should visit Mauganj and meet the family of Akanksha,” Singhar said, referring to a student whose death has become a political issue in the state.

Congress spokesperson Vivek Tripathi also attacked the Centre over the NEET examination controversy, alleging that repeated instances of exam paper leaks had raised serious questions about the credibility of competitive examinations and the accountability of those responsible.

Despite the protests, Union Minister Pradhan continued with his scheduled engagements in Bhopal and met the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at the latter’s official residence, where the two leaders discussed issues related to education, skill development and youth empowerment.

Earlier on Saturday, Union Minister Pradhan participated in a cleanliness drive at the Shri Nageshwar Mahadev Temple in Suraj Nagar as part of programmes being organised to mark 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led Union government.

He said the initiative reflected the spirit of public participation and urged citizens to contribute to the vision of a clean and developed India.

Union Minister Pradhan later visited the Shooting Academy in Bhopal along with Madhya Pradesh Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Vishvas Sarang and interacted with athletes.

During the interaction, the Union Education Minister highlighted the Central government’s efforts to integrate sports with education through the National Education Policy and said initiatives were being taken to link academic and sporting achievements through the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) framework.

Dharmendra Pradhan also reiterated the Union government’s focus on skill development, youth empowerment and the vision of building a ‘Developed India’ by 2047.

–IANS

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