Reports recall events from 1997 in Odisha involving student protests over an alleged exam paper leak. According to the account, around 1,500 students gathered outside the Odisha state secretariat to protest the leak. The reports state that Dharmendra Pradhan was among those students at the time and that he later went on to become India’s Education Minister. The pieces present the earlier protest as a point of attention resurfacing in 2026, drawing attention to how the 1997 incident remains part of public discussion surrounding Pradhan’s background.
No additional details about the 1997 leak case, the investigation outcome, or whether any formal proceedings are active in 2026 are provided in the material. The focus remains on the historical claim that Pradhan participated in the protest outside the state secretariat and that the event is being referenced decades later.
