HP University's SFI demands resignation of Union Education Minister over NEET paper leak

The Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) unit of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) staged a massive protest at Summer Hill against the alleged leak of the NEET paper, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the immediate dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

During the protest, SFI activists raised slogans against the Central Government and the NTA, burnt an effigy of the agency, and blocked roads at Summer Hill, disrupting traffic movement in the area for several hours.

The protesting students also demanded an impartial probe by a high-level committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge into alleged irregularities and examination scams.

Addressing the gathering, Mukesh, secretary of the SFI’s HPU unit, said recent reports of irregularities, paper leaks and corruption in examinations such as NEET had tarnished the country’s international reputation and shattered the aspirations of lakhs of students.

He alleged that this was not the first such incident, recalling that the NEET examination in 2024 had also faced controversy over similar issues.

“It is clear that the Central Government has failed to conduct examinations in a fair and transparent manner,” he said.

Mukesh further alleged that centralised agencies such as the NTA had become “tools for the saffronisation and privatisation of education”, claiming that transparency in the examination system had eroded while “paper leak mafias” continued to enjoy political protection.

Warning of intensified agitation if their demands were not met, the SFI said it would mobilise students from across the state and organise a march to Parliament in the coming days.

The organisation asserted that any compromise with the future of students and the country’s education system would not be tolerated.