Ahmedabad: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today faced protests in Ahmedabad during his visit to Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the NEET examination paper leak and cancellation.

Despite efforts to keep the minister’s visit low-profile, workers of the opposition Congress party’s students wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged a black-flag protest near the IIM Ahmedabad campus.

As the Union Minister’s convoy approached the institute gate, NSUI activists dressed in black rushed onto the road carrying black flags and raising slogans against the education department over the NEET paper leak issue. Protesters attempted to stop the convoy before police personnel stationed at the site intervened.

Police detained the protesting workers and later shifted them to a police station.

NSUI Shows Black Flags to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan During his IIM Ahmedabad Visit Over NEET Row https://t.co/0iGr15wTHJ pic.twitter.com/Iw8TzIouh1

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) May 14, 2026

Gujarat NSUI State General Secretary Vikramsinh Gohil alleged that the future of lakhs of students had been jeopardized due to the NEET paper leak controversy. He demanded that Dharmendra Pradhan accept “moral responsibility” and resign from his post.

Meanwhile, Dharmendra Pradhan attended the Coordination Forum meeting of Indian Institutes of Management held at IIM Ahmedabad.

Following the meeting, the minister posted on social media that discussions focused on the role of IIMs in shaping “Viksit Bharat 2047,” with emphasis on student welfare, institutional coordination, academic excellence, innovation, and global competitiveness.

He stated that India’s IIMs have emerged as major contributors to nation-building, economic transformation, leadership, and management education, adding that the institutions can play a vital role in helping India evolve into a developed nation while contributing to global academic and policy discourse. DeshGujarat