NEW DELHI, 1 Jun : Student protesters took to the streets of Delhi on Monday, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over a series of examination-related controversies, including the NEET-UG paper leak, delays in the CUET-UG examination process, and issues linked to CBSE’s digital answer-evaluation system that have come to light in recent days.
Members of the All India Students Association (AISA) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) staged a protest outside the Ministry of Education in Delhi against the NEET-UG paper leak and other issues.
Angry student protesters speaking to a news agency said, “We were here protesting against the leak that has been happening… Why is the government not demanding the resignation of union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan ” adding that the recent paper leaks have only shown that the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the current education ministry are “not competent to handle the exam structure”.
Meanwhile, Delhi police detained several protestors outside the ministry and forced them into buses.
Demanding the resignation of the education minister citing the recent paper leaks, the young women said, “We will not let this government play with our future. We are not scared of anything. The education minister will have to resign.”
Monday’s protest took place just as political satirical outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) made a June 6 protest call. Announcing his return to India on June 6, CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke took to social media and called for supporters to join him to protest and demand the resignation of union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Asked about the “cockroach” remark made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the protesting student said, “If the Chief Justice thinks students are cockroaches, the treatment of students in the country shows that we are treated like such insects.”
The protester said leaders’ remarks showed that “we will be crushed even when all we are demanding is better education”.
Calls for Pradhan’s resignation began after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced that the NEET-UG exam, held on May 3, would be cancelled due to a paper leak.
Amid the unrest caused by the NEET paper leak, a new row surfaced after a 19-year-old hacker flagged concerns in the on-screen marking portal of the Central Board of Secondary Education, shortly after the board declared the Class 12 results.
Furthermore, the anger towards the education ministry increased after a technical glitch was reported during the CUET UG exam. The glitch delayed the start of the morning shift by up to three to four hours at several centres across India, leading to protests by both students and parents.
(UNI )
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