Campus Times | Lucknow 

Students from the University of Lucknow staged a demonstration demanding accountability for alleged examination irregularities reported in several states, including Jharkhand, Punjab, Kerala, and Karnataka. The protesters asserted that the debate over examination integrity should not be limited to the Centre but should extend equally to state governments where similar allegations have surfaced.

Addressing the gathering, student leader Jatin Shukla described the reported resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a positive democratic development, stating that governments should remain responsive to public concerns and engage with students through dialogue. He maintained that the Centres response reflected the importance of democratic engagement and urged opposition parties to seek similar accountability from governments they lead.

Another student leader, Alok Mishra, alleged that recruitment and public service commission examinations in several states had witnessed irregularities in recent years. He questioned why opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal and Dimple Yadav, had not launched comparable campaigns against education ministers and state governments where such controversies have been reported. He appealed for a uniform approach in raising issues related to students interests, irrespective of political affiliations.

Speaking during the protest, Shakti Dubey accused opposition parties of adopting a selective approach towards examination related controversies. According to him, students across the country deserve equal attention, and political responses should not vary based on which party is in power.

Student leader Vivek Mishra also referred to reported allegations surrounding examination paper leaks in Karnataka, arguing that students affected by such incidents deserve the same level of public support and political attention as those impacted elsewhere. He further criticised activists and political groups whom he accused of selectively highlighting issues for political purposes.

The demonstration concluded with participants reiterating their demand for transparent investigations into all examination irregularities across the country. They called for strict action against those responsible and urged governments at both the Centre and the states to ensure fair, credible, and corruption-free examination systems.

Among those present at the protest were Rishendra Pratap Singh, Anurag Kakaran, Kanishk Tiwari, Ayush Pathak, Ritik Rawat, Ram Yadav, Saurabh Giri, Nikhil Rai, and Suraj Kumar, along with several other students.