Lucknow: Students Protest Over UGC-NET Exam Cancellation, Demand Pradhan's Resignation

Students protest outside Lucknow University, demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam.

UGC NET Row: Student groups staged a protest outside Lucknow University. ( Image Source :PTI )

Lucknow: Members of various student groups staged a protest outside Lucknow University, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam. The students, primarily from the Samajwadi Chhatra Sangh and National Students' Union of India (NSUI), gathered at Bhaurao Deoras Dwar of Lucknow University. They raised slogans against the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the Union Education Ministry, as reported by news agency PTI.

Holding a placard demanding resignation of Pradhan, one of the protesters told the media, "We worked hard for over a year for the NET exam which has been cancelled. This is injustice to us and strictest action should be taken against those responsible for it." The education ministry on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test) conducted by the NTA following inputs that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised and the matter has been handed over to the CBI for a thorough investigation.

As the protesting students were prevented from entering the university campus by security staff, they sat outside and continued their demonstration.

Additionally, some members of the Samajwadi Party (SP) raised slogans at the Hazratganj crossing in the state capital, protesting the exam cancellation and demanding the minister's resignation.

In a departure from previous practices, the NET was conducted in pen-and-paper mode on a single day (June 18), with a record 11 lakh students registering for the exam.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav, along with other opposition parties, also criticized the central government over the cancellation of the exam.

Notably, In Delhi, more than two dozen students from different universities and members of various student outfits were detained on Thursday while they were protesting against the cancellation of the UGC-NET examination and irregularities in the NEET. The students were detained from outside the Ministry of Education as well as the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's residence here in central Delhi.