Prayagraj: Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has said that the violence and vandalism witnessed during Saturday’s student protest against the NEET paper leak in Sangam City would not go unpunished, while asserting that genuine students who participated in the agitation would not be treated as criminals.Those responsible for damaging vehicles and public property would face strict action after investigation, Maurya said, alleging that Samajwadi Party “goons” may have infiltrated the protest.Police have registered cases in connection with the incidents and are examining CCTV footage and other evidence to identify those involved in Saturday’s violence.Speaking to reporters, Maurya said, “Those were our children who were raising the NEET paper issue, and surely they did not indulge in violence. But at the same time, if SP goons are found to have entered the protest and done something wrong, it will be investigated and they will be punished.”He added that the govt respected the concerns of students and understood their anger over paper leaks and irregularities in competitive examinations. “The children who raised the issue of the paper leak will have the cases against them withdrawn, but criminals will not be spared,” he said.On measures to prevent examination malpractice, Maurya welcomed steps taken by the Centre, including the formation of a high-powered task force headed by Nandan Nilekani to prevent paper leaks in future. He said fast-track courts had also been established to ensure time-bound trials of offenders, and that a stringent Bill was being brought in Parliament to deter cheating mafias.Maurya also targeted the previous SP govt, alleging that recruitment commissions had been turned into centres of corruption, and said the SP had no moral right to speak about preventing cheating.Reacting to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s remarks about joining hands with the SP to defeat the BJP, Maurya said that even if Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Owaisi came together, their “dream” would not be fulfilled and the BJP would return to power in Uttar Pradesh with a massive majority in 2027.Addressing party workers during his three-day Prayagraj visit, Maurya urged them to work with full strength for the next six months and strengthen the organisation at the booth level. He called for following the “booth won, election won” formula and urged workers to resolve that the SP would not return to power while the BJP would remain in govt until 2047.Targeting the Congress, he cited former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s statement on leakages in welfare funds. Maurya also claimed that before 2017, criminals operated openly across Prayagraj’s trans-Ganga and trans-Yamuna areas, but the situation had changed under the BJP govt.