Cinema VinesOn Friday, Bollywood actress Dia Mirza took to Instagram to voice her dismay at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the nationwide NEET exam paper‑leak controversy, accusing the leader of lacking empathy for students and grieving families. In a post that began, “Not one word of empathy for the parents who have lost their children, for the children who have died, for the incredible resilience of students demanding their rights, for Sonamji and the students who were on a hunger strike for weeks. How hard can it be Sir?” the actress highlighted the emotional toll of the crisis and the delay in the government’s reply, noting it took 47 days for Modi to comment and that his words still fell short of healing the “millions of hearts that are broken.”
Mirza’s criticism came after the PM issued a rare video message late on Friday, acknowledging the scale of the issue and announcing that the Centre would introduce a bill to establish fast‑track courts and impose stricter punishments on those involved in the leaks. The announcement followed a surge of protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where the “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) gathered to demand accountability for exam irregularities and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Earlier in the week, the actress had shared a note supporting climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for weeks to press for government action. Wangchuk ended his strike after meeting Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at Medanta Hospital, a development that mirrored the broader push for reforms highlighted by the CJP protest.
In his video, Modi acknowledged that the paper leak was “not a minor issue” and had caused “immense pain to lakhs of students and their parents.” He emphasized that the government’s priority had been to prevent students from losing an academic year, stating that conducting the examinations as soon as possible was essential. He added that the government had taken several steps over the past two‑and‑a‑half months to hold those responsible accountable, and that the upcoming bill would further strengthen legal recourse against future leaks.
