The National Eligibility Entrance Test for Undergraduate courses, commonly known as NEET UG, is one of India's most important entrance examinations. Every year, millions of students appear for the examination with the hope of securing admission to medical colleges. Because of the intense competition, the examination process is expected to be fair, transparent and free from malpractice. However, the NEET-UG 2024 examination became the centre of a major controversy after allegations of question paper leaks, irregularities in the examination process and unfair awarding of grace marks emerged

The wider discussion around education reform and the rights of students also brought attention to the efforts of education reformer and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. In March 2024, Wangchuk undertook a 21-day hunger strike in Ladakh, beginning on March 6 and ending on March 26, 2024. His protest was primarily focused on demands for statehood for Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, and the protection of the region's fragile Himalayan environment. He carried out the fast in difficult conditions, including sub-zero temperatures, to draw attention to the concerns of the people of Ladakh.

The primary demands of the protesters included a thorough investigation into the alleged paper leak, cancellation and re-conduct of the examination if necessary, action against those responsible for malpractice, and greater accountability from the National Testing Agency and the government. Students argued that even if the leak had affected only a limited number of candidates, it could still influence the rankings of millions of students because NEET is an extremely competitive examination.