Gul Panag backs students who protested NEET UG paper leak at Jantar Mantar

The student-led protests over the NEET UG paper leak at Jantar Mantar drew support from actor Gul Panag, who said the gathering showed young people were prepared to organise and press for accountability.

Panag said students were no longer content to complain privately or assume that change was impossible. Instead, she described them as showing up, organising peacefully, asking questions and demanding answers.

She said young people could shape the national conversation and influence voters even when not all of them were part of the electorate. Their demands, she said, could not be brushed aside on the basis of age or perceived inexperience.

Panag also challenged familiar descriptions of Gen Z as frivolous or overly focused on social media. She said online platforms were helping young people access information, coordinate and make their voices heard. The protest formed part of a wider conversation around Jantar Mantar’s role as a space for public demonstrations, as Delhi considers an alternative protest site.