IYC holds torchlight march in Delhi, demands Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over exam leaks

New Delhi: The Indian Youth Congress on Saturday held a torchlight march in the national capital demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET paper leak case. Led by IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib, the march began from Rajiv Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat and proceeded towards Jantar Mantar amid police deployment and barricading.

Visuals from the protest showed several people carrying torches and raising slogans against the BJP-led Centre. Addressing the gathering, Chib said young people across the country had taken to the streets demanding the Union minister's resignation. "Youth across the country have taken to the streets and we have only one demand - that Dharmendra Pradhan resign. The BJP-led Centre has allowed a paper leak mafia to flourish.

So many examination papers are being leaked," he alleged. He said the protest would continue until the minister stepped down. "We will continue this demand until Pradhan resigns, no matter how much anyone tries to stop us. They have put up barricades ahead of us, but we will continue to press for his resignation," Chib said. Several protesters claimed repeated examination irregularities had jeopardised students' futures. "We have come out to demand Pradhan's resignation because there is widespread anger across the country.

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Another examination paper has allegedly been leaked, while questions over the NEET examination have already shaken students' confidence. Repeated paper leaks reflect the government's failure," a protester said. Protestors said that examination leaks had pushed many students into distress. "Students' futures are at stake. They prepare for years, but repeated paper leaks destroy their hard work.

That is why we are holding this peaceful protest," he said. Another protester, who said he had recently completed his master's degree from the University of Delhi, claimed concerns extended beyond NEET. "This is not only about NEET. There have been concerns over the conduct of other examinations, including CBSE and UGC-NET. Young people are losing faith in the examination system," he alleged. He also criticised what he described as the government's priorities, saying quality education, schools and hospitals should receive greater attention.