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New Delhi: As the protest over NEET paper leak at Jantar Mantar entered its seventh week on Friday, July 24, the movement that began with students is increasingly drawing support from an unlikely quarter—senior citizens, who say they have joined the agitation because the issue concerns the future of the country’s youth.

Amid hundreds of Gen Z protesters camping at the site, people in their 50s, 60s and even 70s were seen sitting alongside students, raising slogans, attending meetings and lending support to the demand for reforms in public examinations.

64-yr-old farmer travelled for 12 hours to reach Jantar Mantar

Dev Nath Maurya, a 64-year-old farmer from Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli, said he travelled for nearly 12 hours with a group of around 30 people to reach the national capital.

“We have not come here for today; we have come here for this country’s future. These young kids are our future. What face will I show to my grandchildren when they ask what I was doing while the young ones were trying to bring education reforms?” Maurya told PTI.

Ram Avtaar, also in his 60s, said the news of the rising number of student suicides across the country had compelled him to join the protest.

“I have not studied much, but I know that education is one of the most, if not the most important thing in life. Around 20 students have died; tomorrow this figure can increase significantly. Who will be responsible?” he asked.

The protest at Jantar Mantar began on early June under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), along with several student organisations. The protesters have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE’s on-screen marking process, besides seeking wider reforms in the conduct of public examinations.

The agitation gathered wider attention after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined it with an indefinite hunger strike on June 28 and following clashes between police and protesters on July 20.

‘Protest as important as the country’s major agitations’

Om Prasad, 58, who travelled from Madhya Pradesh, said the movement reminded him of some of the country’s major public agitations.

“I participated in the Mandal Commission agitation in 1990. I came to Delhi for the India Against Corruption movement in 2011. This protest is as important as the previous ones. The future of crores of young Indians is at stake,” he said.

Several farmers associated with the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Khosa) were also seen participating in the protest in significant numbers.

Support from older generation boosts morale at protest site

For many of the younger protesters, the presence of older generations has given the agitation a different character.

Hardik, 21, who has been staying at the protest site since July 20, said support from people across age groups had boosted the morale of students.

“Yesterday I saw a group of aunties in their 60s and 70s sitting in a circle and participating in the protest. It was a beautiful sight. After COVID, this is the first time people from all walks of life have joined hands for a common issue,” he said.

Milind Chhabra, 28, an FTII graduate, said the coming together of these two generations for a protest, who are decades apart, is interesting as Gen Z are exposed to the internet at a very young age and, on the other hand, there are baby boomers, many of whom are still processing what goes around on the internet.

“On one hand, we have a generation who grew up with the internet and speaks in memes and other forms of expression on the internet, and on the other side we have a generation whose formative years witnessed protests on roads and outside; coming together of these two generations for education reforms is a positive development overall,” he said

As the protest stretches into its second month, what started as a student-led agitation is increasingly turning into an inter-generational movement, with young aspirants and older citizens standing shoulder to shoulder over what they describe as a fight for the future of education in the country.