Dharmendra Pradhan Meets NEET-UG Topper Amid Intense Protests And Calls For Resignation

Amid the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam irregularities and paper leaks, including the NEET-UG controversy, Pradhan on Sunday met Haryana's Panshul Bansal, who secured All India Rank (AIR) 2 in NEET UG 2026 following the nationwide re-examination.

The meeting came a day Delhi Police removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, where he had been demanding Pradhan's resignation. The police also invoked prohibitory orders to prevent a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march to Parliament scheduled for Monday.

Education minister Pradhan shared a photograph with Bansal and as protests against him intensified.

Education Minister Shares Pics With NEET Topper

In a post on X, Pradhan congratulated Bansal and described his achievement as a reflection of hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

"Met Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who has secured AIR 2 in NEET UG 2026. Congratulated him on this outstanding achievement and wished him success in his career. His accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance and aspiration of India's young minds. I am confident he will contribute meaningfully to the nation's healthcare ecosystem through excellence and service," he said.

Met Panshul Bansal from Haryana, who has secured AIR 2 in NEET UG 2026. Congratulated him on this outstanding achievement and wished him success in his career .

His accomplishment reflects the dedication, perseverance and aspiration of India's young minds. I am confident he… pic.twitter.com/siO8NhoE7l

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 19, 2026

Aryan Gupta from Ludhiana secured AIR 1 in NEET UG 2026 with a percentile of 99.9999, scoring 715 out of 720 marks.

Speaking to ANI after the results were announced, Aryan credited his success to consistent hard work, discipline, guidance from his teachers, and support from his family.

"I secured All India Rank 1 in NEET (UG) 2026. I got 715 out of 720 marks. I worked very hard for two years, studied a lot, and took a lot of stress too, so it feels very good. I'm feeling very relieved. It feels like I've got the fruit of the hard work I put in," Aryan said.

#WATCH | Delhi: On securing the second position nationwide, NEET UG 2026 All India Rank (AIR) 2 holder Panshul Bansal says, “Actually, there wasn't a huge initial reaction because I had calculated my score beforehand; I was expecting around 715. It was a big surprise, though. It… pic.twitter.com/9AYeN8JI4o

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2026

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According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), 11.21 lakh candidates qualified for admission to undergraduate medical, dental, AYUSH, and allied courses through NEET UG 2026.

Nearly 20 lakh candidates appeared for the examination, which was conducted on June 21 at 5,440 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad in 13 languages.

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The NTA said the results were declared on time to ensure that the counselling and medical college admission schedule remained on track. The examination had come under scrutiny following the paper leak controversy, which led to the cancellation of the earlier exam and the conduct of a re-examination on June 21.