Woman arrested over Lok Sabha security breach a civil services aspirant, cleared teachers’ eligibility test

Neelam Azad, one of the four protesters arrested by the police over the security breach in the Lok Sabha, has been staying in Hisar for higher studies.

Speaking about Neelam’s arrest, her brother Ramniwas told PTI, “I got a call from my elder brother to switch on the TV immediately. He told me that Neelam was arrested in Delhi.”

“Her certificate of Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test had expired. I asked her to go to Hisar and get coaching for the same,” her brother said.

Ramniwas said his sister, who successfully passed the National Eligibility Test (NET), came to the village a couple of days ago. However, during her visit, she did not discuss the Parliament protest. Neelam’s mother said, “I spoke to my daughter this morning and she asked me to regularly take my medicines. We were not aware that she had gone to Delhi.”

“I’m uncertain about why she took this action. Perhaps she did it with the intention of securing a job,” she added. Azad had gone to Hisar 5-6 months ago to prepare for Haryana civil services examination.

Neelam Azad, a 37-year-old woman from Ghaso Khurd village was reportedly detained along with wrestler Sakshi Malik’s mother and farmer leader Sikkim Nain during famers’ protests. According to Nain, they were released after a few hours.

Azad holds a postgraduate degree in MA, M Ed, and M Phil, and has successfully cleared the National Eligibility Test. Despite her qualifications, she shared that she had previously interviewed for a trained graduate teacher position in Delhi but was not selected for the role.

Over the last six months, Azad, who was jobless, was diligently preparing for competitive examinations while residing at a paying guest accommodation in Delhi. Azad belongs to the Kumhar community, and her father works as a confectioner. Additionally, both of her brothers are involved in selling milk in the village.

A villager of Jind’s Ghaso Khurd hamlet mentioned that Neelam had previously joined some villagers at Khatkar Toll plaza during the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed farm laws. He also highlighted that she actively spoke out against problems such as unemployment.