Salman Khan urges Indian students to end protest

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has appealed to students protesting over the alleged NEET paper leak to end their demonstrations and return home, expressing confidence that the Indian government will take firm action against those responsible.

In an Instagram post on Thursday evening, Khan referred to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement promising tougher laws to curb examination paper leaks.

He said students should no longer worry, as their education and security remain the government's top priority.

“The students are at top priority, educationally and security-wise. The Honorable Prime Minister has tweeted, and I am sure strict action will be taken against all those responsible for this leak. Students, please go back to your parents and your homes,” Salman wrote.

Hours after the actor’s appeal, social activist Sonam Wangchuk announced the end of his 26-day hunger strike. In a social media post, the 59-year-old said he had decided to withdraw his fast after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country.”

Wangchuk had been fasting since June 28 in solidarity with the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET medical entrance examination paper leak.

Prime Minister Modi, in a video message released earlier on Thursday, described the paper leak as “a matter of great pain” for hundreds of thousands of students and pledged to introduce stricter legislation to prevent such incidents in the future.