Fresh demonstrations broke out outside Ministry of Education in New Delhi on Monday as anger continued to mount over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, delays in the CUET-UG examination and criticism surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education’s digital paper evaluation system.
Members of All India Students Association and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan gathered outside the ministry demanding accountability over the examination controversies that have triggered nationwide outrage among students.
The protests also came shortly after the satirical political outfit Cockroach Janta Party announced plans for a larger demonstration on June 6. Its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, posted on social media saying he would return to India that day and urged supporters to join a protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Outside the ministry premises, several protesters were detained by police during the demonstration.
One protester told reporters that students were protesting because repeated exam leaks and administrative failures had destroyed trust in the system. She questioned why the government was still not seeking the resignation of the education minister and accused the National Testing Agency and the education ministry of being incapable of managing the country’s examination structure properly.
The student added that young people would continue protesting and said they were no longer afraid of government action, insisting that accountability must be fixed for the repeated disruptions affecting students’ futures.
The protest also referenced the controversy surrounding remarks made earlier by Surya Kant. The student said that if students were being compared to “cockroaches,” then the treatment they were receiving from authorities reflected that mindset. The remarks had sparked widespread backlash online and eventually contributed to the formation and rise of the Cockroach Janta Party. The Chief Justice later clarified that his comments were aimed only at fake degree holders and not students in general.
Calls for Pradhan’s resignation intensified after the NTA cancelled the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 3 following allegations of a paper leak.
At the same time, the education ministry faced further criticism after a 19-year-old hacker highlighted alleged concerns with CBSE’s on-screen marking portal soon after the Class 12 board results were announced.
Public anger further escalated after technical issues disrupted the CUET UG Examination at multiple centres across the country. The glitch reportedly delayed the morning shift by several hours, prompting protests by students and parents demanding answers over repeated failures in the examination process.
