Student and youth organisations demonstrated across Assam on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Ranoj Pegu over the leaking of the General Science question paper of the Class 10 state board exams.
All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS), All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) held demonstrations and burnt effigies of Pegu at several places of the state.
The question paper of the exam conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) was leaked on Sunday night, and the examination scheduled on Monday was cancelled.
AASU, NSUI and SMSS staged protests outside the SEBA headquarters in Guwahati amid heavy security, and demanded a CBI probe into the scandal.
“Do not take the future of students lightly, we will not tolerate that. Hand over the probe to the CBI and punish the culprits immediately,” an agitating AASU leader said.
Demanding the resignation of Pegu ad SEBA Chairman RC Jain, SMSS alleged the government was not serious about the future of the students.
“Pegu is the worst education minister in Assam’s history and SEBA is pushed to deathbed by Jain. We demand a CBI probe to unearth the conspiracy to finish the SEBA, which controls all the vernacular medium schools in Assam,” SMSS general secretary Pranjal Kalita said.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
NSUI leaders alleged the government wants to destroy all the schools under SEBA.
“Jain is doing everything possible to finish Assamese medium and other vernacular medium schools,” one of the protesting NSUI leaders claimed.
AASU staged protests in Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Sivasagar, Nalbari, Jamugurihat and other places across the state.
Effigies of Pegu and Jain were burnt in Dibrugarh, while their effigies were hanged in Golaghat.
“This fascist government unleashed police on us to stop us from staging democratic protests. This government must go,” an AASU leader said at Jamugurihat after members of the student organisation were engaged in a scuffle with police, which tried to snatch the effigies of Pegu and Jain.
While AJYCP staged protests at Dibrugarh, ABSU brought out a march in Gohpur.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
