Jaipur: For the second consecutive day Friday, students gathered at Jawahar Circle in Jaipur to protest irregularities in the country’s education system, including recent paper leaks in exams like NEET. The protest, part of a nationwide student movement that originated in Delhi, calls for accountability and the resignation of Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.In the evening, Jaipur police issued a letter granting permission for a protest at Shaheed Smarak from 12 noon to 4 pm Saturday, allowing a gathering of around 450-500 people.Earlier, students began assembling from around 7am Friday, raising demands for systemic change and greater transparency in examinations. Sujal Sharma, a student from Jaipur who was part of the protest, said, “I appeared for NEET in 2024, when the first paper leak happened. After that incident, I changed my mind about becoming a doctor. Instead, I decided to pursue law through CLAT because I wanted to contribute to bringing positive changes in the country and fight against issues like paper leaks.”“Today it is NEET, but what if in future the CLAT or CUET exam gets leaked? Then what are we students preparing for? I wonder if hard work alone is enough to succeed in a system where such incidents keep happening,” said Sharma.A tourist from Uttar Pradesh visiting Jaipur, Nashra, said, “There are protests happening across the country demanding that paper leaks must be stopped, which is in our future’s interest. I am not able to travel to Delhi, so I joined the protest here in Jaipur because I want to show my support for the cause.”Students said that the protest started after they saw a few posts on social media and started arriving on their own from Thursday morning. Students were present at Jawahar Circle throughout the night, despite requests from the police to go home.Another student, Saksham Jain, said, “I have come here to stand against the injustice that has happened to the students. It does not matter which party is in power, what matters is that students should not have to face such injustice when it is about their and the country’s future.”The brother of a NEET aspirant from this year, Raj, who participated in the protest, said, “My younger brother appeared for NEET this year after preparing for two years, and when he learnt about the paper leak, he was so disturbed that he did not want to appear again for the exam. I’m here for him and many other students who went through the same thing.”
