A judicial aspirant from Bihar, a protester from Mumbai and a friend protesting on behalf of a NEET student were among those who joined the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Saturday.
A large crowd of students and supporters gathered at the protest site over alleged exam irregularities, repeated paper leaks, and demands for government accountability.
A college student from Delhi who participated in the protest said that she was against leakage of NEET papers as it had severely affected the morale of her friend, a NEET aspirant.
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“A friend of mine got a drop last year for NEET exam. She prepared not only for NEET exam but for many other paramedical courses. She was really happy after submitting the paper in May and was optimistic. Then we heard that the paper was leaked. It’s been more than a month and her family and friends have been counseling her. It’s not just NEET, she’s lost the motivation to appear for another exam,” Hunar Jain, 18, a college student, told HT.
Many protesters blamed the National Testing Agency, the organization conducting the tests, and questioned why the government could not conduct such tests.
“The government has used all its mechanisms from airlifting Re-NEET newspaper to banning Telegram. A lot of taxpayers’ money is going into this. Why can’t they do the testing on their own instead of outsourcing it to an agency that is not accountable to anyone, including Parliament,” said Ranvijay, a PhD researcher at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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The protest site witnessed a heavy police presence as students carried placards demanding answers from the government over the alleged failures and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protest was called by Abhijit Deepki, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who urged protesters to bring “thali and chamash” (plates and spoons), as a symbol of protest against the government.
Protesters from Mumbai, Bihar
The protest at Jantar Mantar saw participation from all over the country, including Maharashtra and Bihar.
A Mumbai resident said he joined the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar because the city had not hosted a CJP protest. Since Debki’s return from the US, the CJP has been holding protests in Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
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“I am from Mumbai. There was no CJP protest there, but the issues raised by their party resonate everywhere the students stay. The quality of education in private and public institutions is expanding every year,” said Neel Kobkar, 29, a working professional from Mumbai.
A judiciary aspirant from Bihar, who now resides in Delhi, said that every time there is a problem, the NTA blames technical errors.
“Every time a problem arises, the NTA blames it on a technical glitch,” said Gautam Babu, 28, a judicial candidate from Bihar who now lives in Delhi. “The agency uses these technical glitches as a shield to avoid taking responsibility.”
