Students assembled at Eco Garden in Lucknow on Friday to protest against alleged examination irregularities, including question paper leaks.
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha joined the stir. Dipke, who turned up for about 20 minutes in the afternoon, demanded the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Shouting slogans, the students called for an investigation into the alleged irregularities and sought re-examinations where necessary.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dipke said, “We will continue the protest until the education minister resigns. I only want to appeal to the students to continue peaceful protest and join the mass mobilisation at Jantar Mantar on June 20.”
CJP has launched a nationwide campaign and earlier held demonstrations in Delhi (June 6) and Pune (June 11).
Kapil Kumar, 22, a government job aspirant from Bijnaur, said he came to Lucknow to appear in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Multi-Tasking Staff Examination (MTS) in March but was told on reaching the centre that the exam was cancelled there.
“The exam was cancelled at various centres in Varanasi, Lucknow and other cities. It is disheartening to know the examination you had prepared for throughout the year was cancelled at the last moment. Other students who appeared in the examination at other centres received a result and got a posting,” Kumar said.
Divya Singh, 23, a student, said, “We dedicated several hours to our study and such paper leaks bring all our preparation back to zero.”
Aditya, 26, a student from Azamgarh, said despite being a B.Tech graduate since 2020, he is still seeking a government job.
Some guardians and elders also turned up at the venue with the students.
Samta Rai, 49, said till a few years ago, discrepancies were limited to competitive examinations but this year even Class 12 (CBSE) students faced similar issues.
“In difficult times, it is important that the unemployed youth get proper jobs,” Rai said.
Rajabeti, 70, who was present with her grandson, said she supported the youth because the underprivileged are not getting jobs.
“Our children are left with no option but to take to the streets to protest,” she said.
Some students participated in the protest with creative posters.
TURNOUT LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED: OFFICIALS
The event witnessed a significantly lower turnout than anticipated, senior officials said.
Joint commissioner of police (Law and Order) Babloo Kumar said, “We had intelligence inputs that around 10,000 people from different districts could reach Lucknow for the protest. Based on these inputs, preparations were underway for the past three days. Information was shared with district administrations and police units across the state so that necessary monitoring and preventive measures could be taken.”
Despite expectations of a much larger gathering, only around 1,500 protesters eventually reached the venue, officials said.
Around 1,500 police personnel, including Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel, were deployed in and around Eco Garden. Senior officers remained on the ground throughout the protest, with Kumar personally visiting the venue to review security arrangements and monitor the situation.
“Elaborate arrangements were made. The objective was to ensure that public order was maintained and that any possibility of chaos or disruption was effectively prevented,” Kumar said.
