Bengaluru: The NEET controversy spilled onto the streets of Bengaluru on Sunday as Karnataka Youth Congress workers attempted to gherao the BJP office in Malleswaram, protesting alleged irregularities in the examination and a series of student suicides. Police detained several protesters and later released them.

Several Karnataka Youth Congress workers gathered near the BJP office in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, on Sunday as part of a protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and student suicides.

The protesters raised slogans against the Centre and accused the Union government of failing to adequately address concerns surrounding the medical entrance examination.

The Youth Congress alleged that the government was "playing with the future" of lakhs of students.

The demonstration was also aimed at demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, according to the organisation.

Protesters detained and later released

Police detained several Youth Congress workers who had assembled near the BJP office while attempting to gherao the premises.

The protesters were subsequently released.

The Youth Congress later alleged that police used a lathi-charge to disperse its members during the demonstration. The allegation was made in a statement issued by the organisation.

Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president H S Manjunath condemned the alleged police action.

He argued that peaceful protest is a constitutional right in a democracy.

"The lathi-charge on Youth Congress workers who took to the streets for the future and justice of students is highly condemnable and cowardly. The lathi-charge was carried out to suppress the voice of the people and hide the truth," Manjunath said.

The police detention and the Youth Congress's allegation of a lathi-charge have added a political dimension to the protest over examination-related concerns.

What is behind the protest?

The demonstration centred on allegations of irregularities in the NEET examination, along with concerns over a series of student suicides.

The protesters sought greater accountability from the Centre and raised concerns about the impact of examination-related controversies on medical aspirants.

The Youth Congress has used the issue to demand action from the Union government and the resignation of Amit Shah.

Political confrontation over NEET

The Bengaluru protest comes as NEET remains a politically sensitive issue because the examination determines admission to medical courses across India and is taken by a large number of students each year.

The Youth Congress's decision to target the BJP office reflects the growing political confrontation over allegations concerning the examination.

The BJP and the Centre's response to the specific allegations raised during Sunday's protest was not included in the available report.

The Bengaluru demonstration brings together two separate but connected concerns raised by the protesters: alleged irregularities in NEET and the deaths of students by suicide.

For the Youth Congress, the issue has become both an education and political accountability matter. Attempting to gherao the BJP office also shifted the protest from a general demonstration into a direct confrontation with the ruling party's organisation.

The police detention and the Youth Congress's allegation of a lathi-charge are likely to become another point of political contention. However, the allegation of police action is the organisation's claim and should be distinguished from independently established facts.

At the centre of the dispute is the demand for confidence in the medical entrance examination and greater accountability over concerns affecting students and their families.