NEET row: Left student organisations call for national education bandh on July 4

New Delhi: In protest against the alleged malpractices in the conduct of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the Left-wing student organisations, including SFI and AISF, have called for a national education bandh on July 4.

The protesting student organisations also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

They alleged that the future of lakhs of students is jeopardised due to the NTA’s inability to hold exams in a fair and transparent manner and demanded that fresh dates of the NEET-UG be released immediately for all candidates.

Meanwhile, members of the Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA), Student Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Federation (AISF), along with Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and Congress' students wing NSUI gathered at Jantar Mantar here to take out the march.

The student groups aimed to march to the Parliament to press for their demands of scrapping the National Testing Agency, the resignation of Education Minister and decentralisation of entrance tests.

In the line of fire over the alleged irregularities in the NEET and the PhD entrance NET, the Centre removed National Testing Agency (NTA) director general Subodh Singh last week and notified a high-level panel headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief R Radhakrishnan to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations through the NTA.

While the NEET is under the scanner over several irregularities, including alleged paper leaks, the UGC-NET was cancelled as the Education Ministry received inputs that the integrity of the exam was compromised. Both matters are being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC NET and NEET-PG -- were cancelled as a preemptive step. (with PTI inputs)