TNI Bureau: Thousands of students took to the streets in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district, protesting alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, including claims of a question paper leak. The protest, led by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), saw students demanding accountability from the Union Ministry of Education and the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The demonstration was led by NSUI National President Vinod Jakhar, Karnataka State President Kirthi Ganesh and Chitradurga District President Kiran Yadav. Students from different parts of the district participated in the rally and raised slogans against the alleged lapses in the conduct of the medical entrance examination.

Addressing the gathering, Vinod Jakhar alleged that the future of more than 22 lakh NEET aspirants had been jeopardised due to negligence in the examination process. He demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for the dissolution of the NTA over the controversy.

State NSUI President Kirthi Ganesh said repeated allegations of examination irregularities have caused significant stress and uncertainty among students and parents. District President Kiran Yadav coordinated the mobilisation of students for the protest in Chitradurga.

The NSUI warned that it would intensify its agitation across the country if its demands were not addressed. The student body has sought a transparent investigation into the alleged irregularities and called for strict action against those responsible.

As part of its nationwide campaign, the NSUI also staged a major protest in Kurukshetra, Haryana, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Education and the NTA have denied allegations of any widespread paper leak and stated that investigations into reported cases of malpractice are underway.

Separately, the NSUI has also moved the Delhi High Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), raising concerns over the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class XII board examinations. The petition seeks reopening of the verification process, manual re-evaluation in disputed cases and an independent inquiry into the functioning of the digital assessment system.