NEET-UG irregularities: JNU students detained for protesting at Jantar Mantar

NEW DELHI: Over a dozen students were detained when the Jawaharlal Nehru University's students' union along with other outfits staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday against the NEET-UG fiasco, police officials said. The students demanded the scrapping of the NTA and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan against the alleged irregularities in the medical qualifying examination.

Scores of students belonging to different outfits, including the Left-backed All India Students Association (AlSA) and Delhi University's Krantikari Yuva Sangathan participated in the protest. The students carried posters and placards, with slogans such as "Dharmendra Pradhan istifa do (Dharmendra Pradhan resign)" and "Scrap NTA" written over them.

They also demanded re-examination for the NEET-UG examination and ending the centralisation of exams. The protestors were detained because they were planning to continue their protest for the entire night. However, according to a court's order, protests are not allowed at the Jantar Mantar beyond 5 pm, a police officer said.

"The students started putting tents at the site to continue their protest for the entire night. We had to detain them as it is not allowed to sit there (at Jantar Mantar) beyond 5 pm," the officer said. The JNUSU has been demanding the scrapping of NTA-held examinations for admissions into Jawaharlal University's PhD programmes. Several examinations conducted by the agency, including UGC-NET and NET PG, were cancelled after inputs of the "integrity" of the exams being compromised.

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Earlier this week, the students' body submitted a memorandum to Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit to reinstate the varsity's old JNU Entrance Examination (JNUEE) and remove Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores for PhD admissions.

Meanwhile, amid the furore the education ministry has shunted out National Testing Agency director general Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam to the CBI. It has also set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the NTA's functioning and recommend exam reforms. The NEET-UG examination was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres and around 24 lakh candidates appeared. The results were expected to be declared on June 14 but were announced on June 4.