NTA Paper Leak: Students' protest outside education ministry seeking Pradhan's resignation

NEW DELHI: Student organisations staged a protest outside the Ministry of Education on Monday against alleged irregularities in national-level examinations, demanding accountability for repeated paper leaks and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The demonstration, organised by the All India Students' Association (AISA) and joined by activists of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), sought action over alleged irregularities in examinations such as NEET, CUET, SSC and CBSE, organisers said.

According to the student organisations, protesters marched towards the Ministry of Education demanding accountability for paper leaks, errors in score calculations and examination-related disruptions that they claimed had adversely affected lakhs of students across the country.

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The organisations alleged that police personnel deployed at the site stopped the protesters and detained several activists. They claimed that the detained students and activists were taken to Kapashera Police Station and held there for several hours.

A senior police officer said, "Around eight to ten students were detained to maintain law and order." AISA National President Neha alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had become a symbol of negligence and corruption in the education system.

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AISA Delhi University Secretary Anjali accused the government of attempting to suppress student protests instead of addressing concerns regarding examination irregularities.

KYS activists who participated in the protest demanded the resignation of the education minister, the disbandment of the NTA and a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry into the functioning of the examination agency.

In a statement, the KYS referred to the cancellation of the NEET examination earlier this year following allegations of a paper leak and cited disruptions during the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) held on May 30, which reportedly witnessed technical glitches and operational issues at several examination centres.

The organisation alleged that repeated irregularities in national-level entrance examinations had undermined students' trust in the examination system and called for greater accountability within the NTA.

The KYS also argued that recurring examination scandals should be examined in the broader context of the increasing commercialisation of education and the growing influence of the coaching industry.

The student groups demanded a public apology from the Union government over recent examination-related controversies and called for structural reforms to ensure a transparent and accountable examination system.