Student political groups, under the aegis of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), hold nationwide protests against the irregularities in the NEET UG and UGC-NET examination organized by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The cancellation of the UGC-NET examination, in continuation of the alleged paper leak of the NEET examination in the centers of Gujarat and Bihar, has furthered the academic debacle that NTA finds itself surrounded by. The NEET UG exam, which was conducted on May 5, 2024, had its results released on June 4, 2024, which was 10 days prior to the initially programmed date. The early results were met by protests over the alleged aberration and paper leaks, as 67 people achieved a perfect score of 720, with 7-8 students from the same center. In consequence, petitions for retests were filed in the Supreme Court, wherein the body approved the retest of 1563 students within a short span of the retest being on June 23rd. This was followed by the alleged claims of a paper leak and the Supreme Court’s refusal to postpone the counseling process for the same. On June 19, 2024, the National Testing Agency canceled the UGC-NET exam for 2024 after its alleged successful conduct on June 18, 2024, followed by questions raised about the integrity of the examination.
Amidst this scholastic wreck, the opposition of the nation raised questions upon the ruling party, wherein Rahul Gandhi held a press conference addressing the debacle and stated that:
It was being said Prime Minister Modi stopped the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Gaza war, but he is either not able to stop exam leaks or doesn’t want to.”
The backlash and protests are nationwide, and even from within the Sangh Parivar, wherein its student wing, Akhil Bhartiya Vidya Parishad (ABVP), questioned the integrity and credibility of the NTA. In an interview with Indian Express, its National General Secretary, Yagyawalkya Shukla, raised opposition to the same by stating that:
There is a perception of mismanagement by NTA. How is it that question papers are reaching 15–20 minutes late in certain centers? How is it that 7-8 students from the same center get 100% marks? How did 67 students get 720 marks? There is a question mark on NTA’s credibility.”
Shukla, in regard to the government’s apparent silence and delayed responses, further added:
Aur jab praja ke taraf se sawaal hai, to sarkar ke taraf se jawab hona chahiye.“
The General Secretaries of ABVP held a meeting with, first the chief of NTA, and then the present Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, discussing issues pertaining to grace marks and demanding an internalized as well as CBI probe against the accusations. (Source: Harsh Attri, State Secretary, ABVP Delhi)
ABVP further organized a protest on June 10, 2024, at the NTA Office in Delhi, against the irregularities and corruption in NEET UG results and other paper leaks. The student organization demanded a CBI inquiry against the aforementioned. Different wings of the student organization from varied parts of the nation have held daily protests against NTA and its incompetency in holding NEET UG and UGC-NET, as stated by Harsh Attri, the State Secretary for ABVP Delhi. He further mentions how ABVP would continue to take steps such as the present ones if the distortion around the examinations conducted by NTA continues to take place.
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Featured Image Credits: ABVP Official Instagram Page
Shikhar Pathak
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