New Delhi: Indian Cricket Icon Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday supported students protesting against the repeated leaks of exam papers, saying their frustration is understandable and society should ensure they “don’t feel this way anymore”.
Posting on ‘X’, Tendulkar said that his late father Ramesh Tendulkar, who was a professor, instilled certain values in him quite early in life, chief among which was “Failure is okay, cheating is not. Never take shortcuts.”
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 23, 2026
“As adults in society, we have a responsibility to shape the culture. A society that values results over effort will take shortcuts over meritocracy. Today, when students feel disappointed that their efforts have not been rewarded, it is understandable,” Tendulkar said.
“Together, we all need to work together to ensure they don’t feel this way again,” he added.
The protests that began on July 20 have taken a violent turn with the police resorting to lathi charge on several occasions, citing law and order concerns.
The agitation is being led by the Buburrec Janata Party with the support of environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite fast.
Protesters are demanding the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding him responsible for the NEET paper leaks that led to a retest recently. Many students died by suicide as a result of the paper leak.
