Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday stayed away from a scheduled Yoga Day event at Delhi University in the face of student protests against the alleged NET question paper leak and irregularities in the medical entrance exam.

The university had printed posters for the programme. According to the posters, Pradhan was to attend the Yoga Day event at the Multipurpose Hall at 6am on Friday. Manoj Tiwari, BJP MP for North East Delhi, was the special guest.

Students have been holding protests across campuses in the country against the irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam following a paper leak.

On Friday, members of the All India Students Association (AISA) gathered at the venue of the DU event with back flags. Pradhan did not turn up and the protesters continued sloganeering near the venue.

In a statement, AISA said its activists, along with other DU students, raised black flags and protested against Pradhan's scheduled presence in the university.

AISA demanded that the education minister accept responsibility for the exam fiasco and resign. The students also demanded immediate scrapping of the National Testing Agency.

The Yoga Day event was attended by DU vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh and Tiwari, the BJP parliamentarian.

DU registrar Vikas Gupta told this newspaper that Pradhan had on Thursday declined to attend the programme.

"The invitation card was printed on June 18. He was to come but he declined last evening," Gupta said.