Bengaluru, 27 August

A formal police complaint has been lodged at the Vidhana Soudha Police Station against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and others by activist T Narasimha Murthy for abetment of suicide over the repeated NEET paper leaks. 

In his complaint, Murthy accused Pradhan, a BJP MP from Odisha, and others of abetting and provoking 21 students to commit suicide, as leaked exam papers were sold to select students, compromising the examination and leading to severe mental trauma for vulnerable students. He also said that the systemic failure to contain these leaks led to the suicides. 

The complaint has been acknowledged, but an FIR is yet to be filed. Murthy has urged police to file a 'Zero FIR' under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and transfer the matter to an investigating agency for a probe.

Citing provisions under the BNS, 2023, Murthy sought the registration of an FIR under sections 108 (Abetment of suicide), 352, and 61(2).