Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 25 July: Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee staged a forceful protest on Saturday against the paper leak in Uttarakhand Technical University examinations. Led by Pradesh Congress president Ganesh Godiyal, the demonstration commenced from Nanda Ki Chowki and proceeded to the university gate, where party workers raised slogans and surrounded the premises. The protest was marked by strong condemnation of repeated paper leak incidents in competitive examinations and culminated in the burning of an effigy of Technical Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat. Ganesh Godiyal, Campaign Committee Chairman Pritam Singh and Election Management Committee Chairman Harak Singh Rawat led the demonstration in which a large number of party workers participated.
Addressing the party workers and the media on this occasion, Godiyal said that repeated incidents of paper leaks in competitive examinations amount to a grave assault on the interests of youth. He pointed out that in recent years papers of technical education, NEET and Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission examinations have been leaked before the tests, raising serious questions on the functioning of examination agencies and BJP governments. He alleged that involvement of ruling party members in earlier paper leak cases has eroded the credibility of competitive examinations. He accused the State government of failing to maintain transparency in recruitment and academic examinations, thereby pushing the future of youth into darkness. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the case and strict action against those guilty, warning that if impartial investigation is not conducted Congress will intensify its agitation across the state.
Pritam Singh said that repeated leaks in crucial examinations such as NEET and technical education have shaken the confidence of lakhs of students and parents. He described the issue not merely as irregularities in one examination but as a serious assault on the education system and the future of youth. He warned the BJP government that Congress will raise the matter from the Assembly to the streets. Harak Singh Rawat said that when confidentiality of examinations is compromised, the morale of honest and hardworking students naturally breaks. He stressed that the central and state governments along with agencies must implement a transparent and robust examination system to prevent recurrence of such incidents. He noted that earlier leaks in NEET and UKSSSC examinations, solver gangs, fake candidates and irregularities at centres have already exposed serious flaws in the system, with ruling party involvement being a matter of grave concern.
Following the protest, Congress workers burnt an effigy of Technical Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat while raising slogans such as ‘Down with anti‑youth government’, ‘Stop paper leaks’ and ‘Arrest the guilty immediately’. Later police detained Ganesh Godiyal, Pritam Singh, Harak Singh Rawat and several Congress workers, taking them to Suddhowala jail, from where they were released after a short while.
Among the party leaders present on the occasion included former minister Shoorveer Singh Sajwan, Pradesh Vice‑President Suryakant Dhasmana, Treasurer Aryendra Sharma, Pradesh General Secretary Organisation Rajendra Bhandari, former MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, Media Chairman Rajiv Mehrishi, General Secretary Vijay Saraswat, Rajendra Shah, General Secretary Godavari Thapli, Surendra Rangad, Naveen Joshi, Virendra Pokhriyal, Ashwini Bahuguna, Pradesh Mahila President Jyoti Routela, spokespersons Dr Pratima Singh, Manju Tripathi, Abhinav Thapar, Sujata Paul, Yakub Siddiqui, Metropolitan President Dr Jasvinder Singh Gogi, District Presidents Mohit Uniyal and Sanjay Kishore along with hundreds of other workers.
