The NEET protests may have ended but can the death of a young student, driven to suicide by an examination system already tainted by leaks and repeated uncertainty, really be reduced to compensation? The government may call it relief; for grieving families, it risks becoming an unkindest cut—placing a price on lives that should never have been lost

The just-ended protests by students at Jantar Mantar ended with a sort of symbolic victory both for students and the Government as the Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, was forced to resign and an agreement was signed between the Government and the striking students.

Sonam Wangchuk, the unlikely hero who jumped in the protest launched by the Cockroach Janta Party to take out the sting from the protest, was turned into Anna Hazare two days before the pact was signed between students and the Government.

Among other things, the joint press conference televised by two Ministers of the BJP and two leaders of CJP agreed to adequately compensate for the loss of lives due to the NEET paper leakages and reexamination between 2024/2026.

This is the unkindest cut of all to my mind.

All of us should be thankful to social media, for a change this time, for showing live coverage of how the Delhi Police pounced on young, unarmed girls with their batons, giving them........

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