Srinagar, July 23, 2026 (Doon Horizon).
Five senior political figures from Jammu and Kashmir—including two former chief ministers—threw their weight behind the sprawling youth agitation at Jantar Mantar today. They backed the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) demonstrators demanding the immediate sacking of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Thousands of students have camped at the site for 35 consecutive days over the massive NEET paper leak scandal.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti arrived at the protest site on Thursday. She brought her daughter Iltija Mufti along. Addressing the agitated crowd directly, Mehbooba urged the students to hold their ground and continue the sit-in until the BJP-led central government finally caves to their demands. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah visited the site earlier on Monday, July 20. He dropped by the student camp right after his own party staged a separate Delhi protest demanding statehood restoration for the Union Territory.
“These children are the future of India and in future they will lead the nation,” Abdullah told the crowd. He asked the Union government to look into the student demands immediately.
National Conference Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah Mehdi triggered the Kashmir political influx last week. He became the first leader from the region to join the CJP protests. Ruhullah lashed out at the establishment for suppressing dissent. Citizens demanding their constitutional rights should never be branded or silenced, he stated on the ground.
“Kashmir knows this experience all too well, and today the same pattern is visible elsewhere,” Ruhullah said. He drew a direct parallel to the abrogation of Article 370. “A democracy is strengthened when power is guided by character and citizens are heard with respect. The cycle of fear and labelling must end. The chain must break.”
More regional politicians surfaced at the protest venue today. Mehraj Malik—the lone Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Doda—marked his second appearance at the Jantar Mantar camp after previously attending on July 20. Sajad Kargili, a prominent social and political activist from Kargil, also reached the protest site today. The student demonstrations against the NEET examination fraud have now triggered identical protests across multiple states. Opposition parties are actively mobilising their cadres to back the agitating youth.
