Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray will travel to Delhi on Wednesday, 23 July to meet students protesting against the NEET paper leak, party leader Aaditya Thackeray announced. The visit follows a police baton-charge on demonstrators at Jantar Mantar, which left several young protesters injured. Shiv Sena (UBT) has also pledged full legal support to students who have received police notices or face registered charges.

Why Uddhav Is Going to Delhi

Aaditya Thackeray said Uddhav Thackeray will meet the injured and affected students in person to understand their concerns and grievances firsthand. He stressed that Shiv Sena (UBT) has backed the student movement from its outset and fully supports what he described as their legitimate demands. Notably, Uddhav Thackeray was also among the first political leaders to extend solidarity to environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a 20-day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.

Legal Aid and Party Support

To assist students facing legal action, Shiv Sena (UBT) has launched a dedicated email address — shivsenaubtlegal@gmail.com — for those who have received notices or have cases registered against them. Aaditya Thackeray appealed to lawyers across Maharashtra to take up these students' cases pro bono. He added that party colleagues had already visited a police station where over a hundred students were reportedly detained on the same day.

Allegations Against the Government

Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the Modi government responded to peaceful marchers heading towards Parliament with a baton-charge, resulting in numerous arrests and legal notices. He drew a sharp contrast with past protests, arguing that during Anna Hazare's agitation, government ministers stepped forward for dialogue, whereas today not a single minister has been willing to engage with the students. He also alleged that students were detained by police at a peaceful protest at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, with cases registered against several of them.

Saamana Editorial: Party Mouthpiece Calls It a Revolution

Shiv Sena (UBT)'s party mouthpiece Saamana published a sharp editorial characterising the nationwide youth protests as the beginning of a 'revolution' demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resignation. The editorial cited slogans such as 'Dictatorship will not be tolerated' and 'Modi, quit power' echoing through the streets. It attributed the spark of the agitation partly to remarks reportedly made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who allegedly referred to unemployed youth as 'cockroaches' — a characterisation the editorial used to frame the resilience of protesting youth. The government has not publicly responded to the editorial's claims.

Protests Spread Beyond Delhi

The demonstrations have extended well beyond the national capital. Large-scale protests have been reported at Shivaji Park in Mumbai under Aaditya Thackeray's leadership, as well as in Pune and Nagpur. The breadth of the agitation signals that discontent over the NEET paper leak and broader youth unemployment concerns has moved beyond student groups into wider public mobilisation. Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Delhi is widely seen as an effort to consolidate the opposition's presence within this growing movement.