E-Paper
'We are not scared': Protests outside education ministry amid NEET, CBSE exam controversies
Members of the All India Students Association (AISA) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) staged a protest outside the ministry against the NEET UG paper leak.
Amid the ongoing row caused by the NEET-UG paper leak, the CUET-UG exam delay and the CBSE's paper-checking portal coming under students' scrutiny, fresh protests erupted on Monday outside the Ministry of Education in Delhi.
Members of the All India Students Association (AISA) and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) staged a protest outside the ministry against the NEET-UG paper leak and other issues.
The protest also took place just as political satirical outfit Cockroach Janta Party made a June 6 protest call. CJP's founder Abhijeet Dipke took to social media on Monday to announce that he will be coming back to India on June 6, and called for supporters to join him to protest and demand the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Also Read | 'Meet me at the airport': Cockroach Janta Party founder's step-by-step plan for protest in Delhi
Meanwhile, outside the ministry, police detained several protestors.
"We were here protesting against the leak that has been happening... Why is the government not demanding the resignation of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan?" a protestor said to news reporters, adding that the recent paper leaks has only shown that the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the current education ministry are “not competent to handle the exam structure”.
"We will not let this government play with our future. We are not scared of anything. The education minister will have to resign," the protesting young woman added further as per an ANI video.
The protestor also referred to the "cockroach" remark made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, which caused a massive uproar among Indian youth and also played a role in the formation of Cockroach Janta Party.
"If the Chief Justice thinks students are cockroaches, the treatment of students in the country shows that we are treated like such insects," she said. The CJI has said he was only referring to fake degree holders when he used the words “cockroaches” and “parasites”.
The protestor 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.
