While one set of students is being detained on the streets of Delhi for demanding accountability over the NEET-UG paper leak, another is being celebrated on television screens as the model NEET aspirant.

As allegations of a compromised examination have snowballed into a CBI investigation, nationwide demonstrations, police crackdowns and a political storm, sections of the media—reinforced by the government's public messaging—have begun elevating the stories of toppers who chose to stay home and study instead of protesting.

The result is a powerful counter-narrative: the answer to a crisis of institutions lies not in questioning the system but in succeeding within it.

There is nothing inherently objectionable about celebrating excellence. Every year, toppers inspire millions of students through their discipline, resilience and hard work. Nor should their achievements be diminished because the examination they appeared for became embroiled in controversy.

The problem begins when these exceptional individuals are made to carry a political or ideological burden they never volunteered for. Their stories cease to be merely stories of success; they become answers to questions they were never asked.

The most striking example came in an interview by NDTV's Defence Editor Shiv Aroor with NEET AIR-2 Panshul Bansal. The headline read: Why Go To Protest When I Could Study, Improve My Score": NEET Topper To NDTV. It was a headline that immediately transformed a personal choice into a public statement.

Curiously, the interview itself was far more nuanced than the headline suggested. Bansal spoke about the disappointment he felt when the original examination was cancelled, how he viewed the re-test as an opportunity to improve, and how his score rose from 706 to 715. When asked directly about the protests sweeping the country, however, he declined to take a position, saying he would rather not comment on them.

The media's emphasis on toppers was not confined to one interview.

AIR-1 Aryan Gupta's success story quickly became a staple across news platforms, with headlines highlighting his gruelling study schedule, discipline and advice to future aspirants.

Such........

© National Herald