HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, March 13: Student bodies, youth organisations and political parties on Monday staged protests across Assam over the leak of general science question paper, meant for Class 10 state board examination.
Effigies of the state education minister and the chairman of Secondary Education Board, Assam, (SEBA) were burnt by multiple organisations during the day.
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The agitators also gathered at the office of SEBA here, demanding action against the erring personnel.
The general science examination, which was scheduled to be held Monday, was cancelled by SEBA on Sunday night following reports that the question paper has been leaked.
A case has been filed and the CID ordered to probe the matter, education minister Ranoj Pegu said.
Upset with the leak, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) held demonstrations, seeking immediate arrest of SEBA’s controller of examination, Nayan Jyoti Sharma.
AASU members set fire to effigies of Pegu and SEBA chairman RC Jain at different places.
Its general secretary, Sankarjyoti Baruah, said, “This incident once again proves that SEBA is inefficient. There is a need to reconstruct the board. We also want a CBI inquiry to get to the root of the matter.”
Members of Students’ Federation of India and Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti also staged separate protests outside the SEBA office here.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India, in a press statement, claimed that Pegu must resign over the “lapse” and punitive action should be initiated against the SEBA chairman.
They also questioned the silence of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the fiasco.
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi sought the resignation of the chief minister and the education minister, asking them to own moral responsibility for the matter.
Members of the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party also agitated separately in front of the SEBA office, stressing that fixing of responsibility for the leak was necessary.
Our Jorhat correspondent adds: The Jorhat district unit of AASU on Monday staged a demonstration and burnt effigies of the education minister Ranoj Pegu and SEBA chairman RC Jain in front of Jorhat deputy commissioner’s office complex to protest against the incident of alleged question paper leak of the general science subject of ongoing HSLC on Sunday.
The protesters holding banners and placards shouted slogans against SEBA chairman and the education minister Ranoj Pegu and also sought a high-level probe to be carried out in the question paper leak case and initiate stern action against those found involved/responsible in the case.
They also sought the resignations of the education minister and the SEBA chairman over the incident that has affected lakhs of candidates across the state who were ready to sit for the first major examination of their academic career.
The protesters sought that the chief minister intervene in the matter and ensure that the process of conducting the HSLC examination till declaration of results was undertaken in a fair manner free from all sorts of irregularities.
Our Nagaon correspondent adds: Following cancellation of HSLC Examination on March 13, the Nagaon district units of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad on Monday demanded immediate resignation of state education minister Ranoj Pegu and the chairman of Board of Secondary Education, Assam for frequent leakage of question papers of ongoing HSLC examination.
Besides, as per directive of its central body, the district unit of AASU also burnt the effigy of the state education minister Ranoj Pegu and urged state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to intervene in the controversial issues of repeated leakage of question papers under SEBA. The students’ organisation also sought a high level probe into the entire episode and urged the state head to take adequate action on the basis of its report against those who were involved in the issues.
