CBSE paper leak row: Congress youth leaders, students hold protests, accuse HRD minister of abdicating authority

New Delhi: Students and Congress youth leaders on Friday held protests in several parts of the national capital against CBSE board papers being leaked, accusing the board of negligence and demanding immediate action against the guilty. While some students gathered at Parliament Street in the heart of the city, members of the Congress’ National Students Union of India (NSUI) began marching towards Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar’s residence but were stopped. Student groups and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) also demonstrated outside the CBSE headquarters in east Delhi’s Preet Vihar, raising various demands, including an independent investigation. [caption id=“attachment_4412319” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Students protesting the CBSE leak in Delhi. Pallavi Rebbapragada/Firstpost[/caption] “The leaks have exposed the capture of the highest academic institutions by the exam mafia under the watch of the Modi government as well as the abdication of authority by the HRD minister and the CBSE chairperson,” NSUI leader Neeraj Mishra said. He added that they would demand the resignations of Javadekar and CBSE chairperson Anita Karwal. The NSUI’s list of demands includes announcement of the retest of the Class 10 Maths and the Class 12 Economics papers as early as possible. They are also demanding that students should not be forced to take the retest. Though the NSUI march was stopped at the Udyog Bhawan metro station, a short distance from Javadekar’s Kushak Road residence, NSUI president Fairoz Khan and DUSU vice president Kunal Sehrawat were taken by Delhi Police to meet the minister. Javadekar assured them that a decision on the issues raised by them would be taken by the end of the day, Sehrawat said. A delegation of the RSS-backed ABVP also met the union minister raising similar demands, including necessary procedural changes to ensure “leak-proof” exams and early declaration of the retest dates keeping in mind other competitive exams, said a leader. The Congress’ Delhi wing, DPCC, shouted slogans outside the CBSE headquarters, demanding an independent investigation into the issue. Earlier in the day, scores of students also demonstrated outside the CBSE headquarters, asking for an early resolution to their problems. The CBSE announced a retest of the two papers earlier this week following reports that the papers were leaked.