Father A Senior Assam Minister, Daughter Joins Anti-Centre Students Protest

Social media in Assam is abuzz over Dibisa Mahanta, the daughter of Assam Revenue Minister Keshab Mahanta, who joined a students' protest at Chachal in Guwahati on Thursday.

Demonstrators were calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.

Visuals of her protest have gone viral on social media. She was seen chanting slogans against the education minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the protest.

Holding placards and raising slogans alongside students, she took part in the demonstration, which focused on alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and sought accountability from the Centre.

Keshab Mahanta is the senior-most Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader after the party's state president Atul Bora. The AGP is a constituent of the BJP-led coalition government. Mahanta has been a minister in the BJP government since 2016.

Mahanta's daughter's presence at the demonstration drew attention as he is one of the senior ministers in the Assam government, while the protest was directed against a Union minister from the ally BJP.

Responding to questions at a press conference, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government respected the students' right to protest.

"It is a students protest and we respect their demands and arguments. Our Prime Minister is thoroughly looking into this issue. At the same time, Assam is passing through a crucial period because of the floods. We have been affected very badly, so I would urge everyone to focus on this natural calamity," the Chief Minister said.

The protest remained peaceful, with students continuing to seek action over the alleged examination irregularities. Police maintained security at the venue, and no untoward incident was reported.