Mumbai: NSUI storm wrong NTA office in NEET exam fury

Students were picked up by the police and put in the van

On Friday, the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India attempted to mirror their counterparts in Delhi by storming the National Testing Agency's (NTA) office in Mumbai to protest the mismanagement of NEET exams. However, their plans hit a snag when they found out the targeted office in Andheri East, on the second floor of the Employees State Insurance Corporation's (ESIC) building, actually stood for the National Training Academy, ESIC's internal centre for its employees.

The protest was scheduled for 12.30 pm. Police were deployed, with a few patrolling the area outside the entry gate and the lane adjoining the office building, while a couple provided security for officials inside the training academy. "We stood around the office for about two hours before their arrival," said one of the MIDC police personnel.

ESIC sub-regional office building's internal security wouldn't allow anyone in, not even reporters, to have a word with the training academy's officials, who were by this time providing clarifications to the police as well as the students that they are not the same as the testing agency.

R Thinesh Kumar, deputy director of the training academy, said, "It was a misunderstanding and we were surprised but not as much troubled. The police were in our office for three hours. We provide training to our employees after joining here; all this is internal."

Despite knowing it was a different NTA, NSUI was adamant about holding a protest outside the ESIC office. Four of them were picked up by the police and put in the van from the lane adjoining the ESIC building. "We misunderstood. When we called the office, they confirmed that it was NTA, but we later realised this is NTA under the labour ministry. But regardless, this is a public place and we can protest and demand re-NEET anywhere," said Pradyumn Yadav, 25, city president of the student outfit.

He added there were about 15 people in total at the protest, with the rest standing around. "Just as we had started sloganeering, we were detained," he said.

The mismanagement of NEET exams has impacted lakhs of students across the country and has gained political momentum. On the same day, another controversy also unfolded in parliament when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's mic was muted by Speaker Om Birla as he attempted to raise the issue in the House.