Bhubaneswar: Protests in New Delhi over alleged irregularities in exams found an echo in Odisha on Monday, with students, political parties and civil society groups holding demonstrations at PMG Square in Bhubaneswar.Expressing solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk and the students protesting in New Delhi, the demonstrators demanded the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and greater accountability in the education system.The protesters alleged that repeated NEET question paper leaks and administrative lapses have eroded public confidence in the education system. Accusing the govt of failing to safeguard students’ interests, they claimed that several students had allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak controversy, yet the Union education minister did not resign.BJD’s Manmath Routray alleged that govt functionaries in civil dress behaved “worse than the British” by forcibly removing Wangchuk, who, he said, had been observing a peaceful hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in keeping with Gandhian principles. “We are here not only for Wangchuk, but for the larger cause of students. All Indians have to join hands in support of this cause,” Routray said.Senior functionaries from the Congress, CPI, CPM and other opposition parties joined the protest, accusing the govt of allowing “systemic failures” to continue without fixing responsibility. “The education system has been pushed into a crisis. Students are losing faith because irregularities are becoming a recurring phenomenon. The minister must accept moral responsibility,” Congress’s Sudarshan Das said during the demonstration.Civil society representatives said the issue goes beyond individual incidents and underscores the need for institutional reforms, stronger examination security and time-bound accountability for officials responsible for lapses. The protesters warned that the agitation would intensify if the govt failed to announce corrective measures.
