The wave of anger that hit Dehradun was that hundreds of students went out into the streets protesting the recent paper leak that has again brought the credibility of competitive exams in Uttarakhand. The protesters were primarily those seeking employment in the government, and they complained that the state government had not succeeded in deterring such malpractices with the introduction of the anti-cheating law.
The protestors assembled in major sections of the city, shouting slogans and holding the authorities responsible. Quite a number of them were holding placards displaying their disappointment at how the system fails the youth who took years to prepare in order to take competitive examinations. They claimed that the government, with the tall claims of curbing the exam fraud, the paper leaks that have occurred have rendered their hard work and dreams a mockery.
The law against cheating, as it is now enacted with a lot of enthusiasm, has the stipulations of severe punishment that include heavy fines, jail terms and even a lifetime bar to the examination for those who violate the law. The students, however, claimed that the law was present on paper and had done very little towards stamping out the strong nexus that was behind such scams. To them, it is the real reason that such cases keep emerging because of the failure to enforce them and also because of the role played by organized groups.
Students insisted on more openness in the recruiting process, cancellation of the invalid exams on the spot, and a new and equal opportunity among the applicants. They also wanted to have a high degree of accountability on exam conducting agencies and a prompt investigation into the recent occurrence. Part of the protesting masses even demanded that the government officials be held to account in case negligence is established with regard to the conduct of these significant examinations.
Besides casting doubt on the integrity of the examination system, the paper leak scandal has also increased the feeling of despair among the young people who are grappling with unemployment. Most of the students have said that their confidence in the system is now low, and unless corrective action is taken, they will not believe in state-administered recruitment procedures.
The unrest in Dehradun is symptomatic of the increasing anger among the young generation in the Uttarakhand state who feel that their future in terms of career is under threat due to the frequent examination anomalies. With the agitation picking up pace, the state government is under pressure to do something drastic and demonstrate that the anti-cheating law is not just symbolic.
As students no longer wanted to keep their heads low, calls to have a fair, transparent and accountable system of recruitment are more deafening than ever.
