Amid the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test- UG 2024, the students’ protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against the irregularities in the examination entered its seventh day today, and the students have called for a march towards the Parliament on Tuesday to press their demands.
The students are demanding re-examination for all the students country-wide and the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has failed to speak on the issue and listen to the demands of the protesting students. Students have gathered at the national capital for an indefinite sit-in strike under the banner “India against NTA”, raising their voices against the alleged rigging in the NEET-UG examination.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation is strongly continuing its crackdown on the case. Tightening its grip, the CBI arrested the owner of a private school in Godhra district of Gujarat in connection with the irregularities in the national examination. The accused, identified as Dixit Patel, is the owner of Jay Jalaram School situated near Godhra and was arrested from his residence by the CBI officials.
However, the striking point here is that the nationwide crackdown by the central agency which has led to numerous arrests and uncovering of a vast network of people throughout the country contradicts the Centre’s claim that there had been “no leak” in this year’s NEET-UG exam.
Patel is the sixth person to be arrested in this case from Gujarat. According to CBI officials, the accused allegedly solicited between ₹5 lakh and ₹10 lakh from candidates, promising to enhance their examination scores. Pertinently, throughout its crackdown, the central investigative agency has arrested several people, including junior engineers, teachers, school administrators, students, and political functionaries, who are suspected of being involved in leaking the question papers, providing answer keys to the aspirants a night prior to the exam, and arranging dummy candidates.
As the crackdown on the examination issues continues to go forth, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday raised the NEET issue in the Lok Sabha, criticizing it to be an “institutional failure” where the government has failed to address the discrepancies of the students. He also referred to the medical entrance exam as a “commercial exam” designed for rich kids which the government has centralized in Kota.
Rahul Gandhi, LoP However, though the government restrained from speaking on the matter as of now, the heated debate is expected to go on today following PM Narendra Modi’s Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address.
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