UGC-NET Cancellation: Students Stage Protests Outside MoE, Pradhan’s Residence; Dozens Detained

New Delhi: Over two dozen students from various universities and student organizations were detained on Thursday during a protest against the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam and alleged irregularities in NEET.

The detentions occurred outside the Ministry of Education and the residence of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protest saw participation from numerous student bodies, including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students Association (AISA), Democratic Students’ Front (DSF), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), and Congress-affiliated NSUI. Demonstrators demanded the National Testing Agency (NTA) be banned and called for an investigation into an alleged paper leak.

This protest follows the Union Education Ministry’s decision to cancel the UGC-NET exam due to concerns about the exam’s integrity.

The demonstrators voiced their frustration, asserting that the NTA has repeatedly failed students. “The recent UGC-NET cancellation due to a paper leak is just one example of NTA’s incompetence. We demand its complete dissolution,” the AISA unit from JNU declared in a statement.