India, July 19 -- Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan - demand for whose resignation over paper leaks such as the NEET-UG has been at the nub of an ongoing protest in the heart of the national capital - on Sunday met and congratulated Panshul Bansal, who secured All India Rank 2 in the NEET-UG 2026 as re-examination was held because of a leak.

Pradhan shared a photo with the student a day after Delhi Police forcibly removed activist Sonam Wangchuk from his Jantar Mantar hunger strike demanding Pradhan's resignation, and as police invoked prohibitory orders to block a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) march to Parliament planned for Monday.

In a post on X, Pradhan said he had met Panshul Bansal from Haryana and congratulated him on his...