In India, Rahul Gandhi backs student protests in Maharashtra
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the lower house of India’s parliament, backed students protesting in the state of Maharashtra over alleged irregularities during a regional recruitment competition for government positions. He called on the authorities to listen to the protesters’ demands and take action.
As Deutsche Welle English reports, Gandhi said that thousands of students had peacefully taken to the streets not only because of a single exam or recruitment drive, but because of a loss of trust in the entire system. According to him, the protesters’ voice will only grow stronger until justice is restored.
Investigation into a possible leak of exam materials
The politician’s statement came amid an investigation launched by the Maharashtra government into a possible leak of materials from an examination held by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission. The exam concerned candidates for drug inspector positions at the Food and Drug Administration.
The in-person exam took place on March 22. Afterwards, complaints emerged that some candidates had allegedly received an exam paper or questions in advance. Participants said their complaints had not been considered, while the commission completed the selection procedure and published a list of 488 candidates.
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The commission later cancelled the recruitment procedure. It cited a police investigation that preliminarily indicated that one of the candidates had gained access to an exam paper before the examination and used it.
Committee to review the examination system
The state government also established a high-level committee to assess Maharashtra’s current competitive examination system. It was tasked with proposing steps to improve the transparency, security, reliability and candidate-friendliness of the procedure.
Separately, students from tribal communities protested in several districts of the state. Among other actions, they held hunger strikes over conditions in student hostels, student safety and the filling of about 12,500 vacant positions reserved for members of these communities. The hunger strikes ended after the Maharashtra government accepted the protesters’ demands.
Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs the state, of pursuing policies that create problems for students. In particular, he mentioned leaks of exam materials, delays in recruitment, the cost of education and conditions in hostels.
