Lucknow: Students rally over exam irregularities, seek Pradhan’s resignation

Hundreds of students and government job aspirants gathered in Lucknow on Friday to protest against alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment processes, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was held at Eco Garden and drew candidates preparing for a range of competitive examinations, including teaching, medical, administrative, revenue and other government recruitment services.

Participants began assembling at the venue from the morning, carrying placards and raising slogans over what they described as repeated failures in the examination system. Protesters called for greater transparency, accountability and reforms in the conduct of recruitment and entrance examinations.

The demonstration forms part of a wider nationwide campaign launched by the CJP to highlight concerns surrounding examination management and recruitment processes. Similar protests have already been held in Delhi and Pune.

Organisers said the movement aims to draw attention to issues affecting students and job seekers across the country and to push for systemic reforms.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had earlier stated that the protest would remain peaceful and within constitutional limits. He said the organisation's objective was to raise concerns through democratic means and ensure that the voices of students and aspirants were heard.

Meanwhile, Lucknow Police clarified that permission for the gathering had been granted after a formal application was submitted on Thursday evening.

According to additional commissioner of police (Law and Order) Babloo Kumar, the application was filed by an individual rather than an organisation. He also dismissed reports suggesting that authorities had denied permission for the event, stating that no application had been received before Thursday evening.

Police said the permission was valid from 10 am to 4 pm and estimated that around 1,000 people could participate in the programme.

The CJP has announced plans to continue its campaign with protests scheduled in Amritsar and Bengaluru before returning to Delhi's Jantar Mantar for a larger mobilisation on 20 June.

The organisation has positioned the demonstrations as a national movement seeking reforms in examinations and recruitment systems amid growing concerns among students and job aspirants over the credibility and fairness of competitive tests.

With IANS inputs