Student outfits rally against ‘irregularities’ in NEET-UG
Anshita Mehra
New Delhi, July 3
A large-scale protest erupted at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday as student outfits from the INDIA bloc rallied against the alleged irregularities in competitive exams conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The protest, organised by the Left-backed All India Students’ Association (AISA), Student Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Federation (AISF), Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), saw students voicing their demands for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the decentralisation of entrance tests.
In a parallel demonstration, members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) protested nearby, with several workers shaving their heads in a dramatic display of dissent and raising “anti-Modi” slogans. “We will not let Pradhan rest quiet even for a moment. A man who has sacrificed the future of 40 lakh students must leave the Education Ministry,” declared Neha, AISA Delhi state secretary.
The students’ original plan to march to Parliament was thwarted by heavy police deployment and barricading. Despite this, the protesters remained steadfast in their demands, which included a judicial probe into exam paper leaks and the complete overhaul of the NTA.
JNUSU president Dhananjay, representing the affected students, said, “We demand an immediate judicial probe into the paper leaks and an end to the trend of centralisation of exams.” Prasenjeet, AISA general secretary, criticised the continued operations of the NTA amidst corruption allegations, saying, “The NTA is already under inquiry. How can they announce the schedule of other exams? This corruption will only stop when NTA is gone!”
The protest saw participation from various prominent student leaders. Together, they condemned the harsh police actions taken against students during the ongoing indefinite sit-in, now in its eighth day, and decried the filing of FIRs against multiple protesters. “The brutal detention by Delhi Police is unacceptable. We will not be silenced,” said Neha.
