Goa NEET protest stooped to 'lowest intellectual level’, says CM Sawant; questions Umar Khalid placards

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) said the recent student agitation in Goa over the NEET exam had “stooped to the lowest intellectual level”, and that placards demanding activist Umar Khalid’s release diverted the protest from its original purpose.Addressing the inaugural session of the Goa Shiksha Samagam 2026 in Panaji, Mr. Sawant said students have every democratic right to protest, but maintained that the conduct and messaging witnessed during the recent agitation could not be associated with genuine student movements.Amid nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over irregularities in the exam system and the NEET paper ‘leak’, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on July 25.The Goa police last week detained two youth in Panaji for allegedly expressing support for jailed student activist Umar Khalid during celebrations over Mr. Pradhan's resignation. Mr. Khalid has been arrested in a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.The coastal State police had also questioned organisers of two protests in Mapusa and Panaji last week seeking Mr. Pradhan's resignation.Mr. Sawant said, "Students definitely have the right to protest. I can understand an agitation over NEET. But the kind of acts, thoughts and language displayed during the agitation cannot be of students. Many of us have participated in student agitations in the past, but nobody stooped to such a low intellectual level."The Chief Minister questioned why the issue of Umar Khalid was raised during a protest centred on NEET."I can understand the agitation over NEET. Dharmendra Pradhan has acted in the interest of students and the nation. But who is Umar Khalid? Why should placards demanding his release be displayed during a NEET protest?" he asked.Mr. Sawant further questioned how placards seeking Mr. Khalid's release were displayed at Goa's Azad Maidan, noting the activist was arrested in connection with a Delhi riots case."Who are these people? We need to awaken our students; otherwise such developments will disturb communal harmony," the Chief Minister stressed.He also alleged that people from outside Goa had been brought in to participate in the agitation and urged the public to examine videos of the protest.Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP), he said its objective was to create culturally rooted and nationalist students capable of shaping their own careers and making independent decisions about their future.The NEP, which completed six years on Wednesday (July 29, 2026), replaced an education policy that had remained unchanged for 35 years, Mr. Sawant noted. "The policy was changed after 35 years, and it took six years to understand how to implement it. For the last 40 years, we were repeating the same pattern of education," he said.While some sections opposed the introduction of the new education policy, Goa is now recognised nationally for its implementation, the CM pointed out. "There were some elements which opposed the NEP, but the case in Goa was different. Today, Goa is leading the country in the implementation of the National Education Policy. Whenever I attend national programmes, I feel proud that Goa is the leader," he said.Mr. Sawant said the State government sought the expertise of premier institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT) and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani to effectively implement the policy.Highlighting the NEP's objectives, he said education should not be limited to obtaining degrees but should prepare students to succeed in life. "Many students study only to get a degree. If you want to succeed in life, education must also include life skills so that students can decide their future," he emphasised.Mr. Sawant said career guidance and skill development should begin from the school level, particularly from Class 8, enabling students to identify their interests and strengths early.