‘Wake-up call for govts, MPs’: NDA ally backs student protests

An ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday said in Parliament that the student protests that swept across the country over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in competitive examinations should not be viewed negatively, calling them a “wake-up call” for governments and lawmakers to strengthen India’s examination system.Speaking during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Indra Hang Subba, MP from the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), supported the proposed legislation and said the widespread demonstrations reflected the growing frustration of aspirants.“The way our youth expressed their dissatisfaction by protesting over the last couple of months on the streets should not be taken in a negative light. I think for the system, parliamentarians and the government, be it from any party, this is a wake-up call that we have to make our examination system more robust,” Subba said.The amendment bill comes after nationwide protests triggered by NEET-UG exam paper leaks. Students across several states had demanded stricter punishment for those behind examination fraud and greater accountability in the conduct of public examinations.Subba said cheating in examinations had evolved from isolated incidents into organised crime involving financial transactions. Such rackets, he argued, disproportionately benefited affluent candidates while disadvantaged students from economically weaker backgrounds who relied on public examinations to improve their lives.“When paper leaks and unfair means allow one candidate to perform well while a hardworking student is left behind, not only does the system fail, but the future of the child is also compromised,” he said. He also called for time-bound investigations, saying prolonged probes often delayed justice.Opposition MP Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) echoed concerns over paper leaks but argued that stronger provisions in the bill were needed. He also expressed displeasure after being allotted only three minutes to speak, saying leaders who had fought alongside protesting students deserved more time.“We did not go to Jantar Mantar merely to make reels. We fought this battle from the streets to Parliament,” Beniwal said, crediting the youth-led protests with compelling the government to bring the legislation.Paying tribute to students who died by suicide amid examination controversies, Beniwal said paper leaks had occurred under governments led by different political parties and called for a non-partisan approach to tackling the problem.He proposed life imprisonment for organised paper leak syndicates influencing multiple examinations, court-monitored investigations with mandatory digital video recording, lifetime debarment of convicted offenders from public examinations and government employment, and legal provisions allowing courts to order narco and polygraph tests during investigations.“I believe merely enacting a law is not enough. Until swift and stringent action is taken against the masterminds of paper leaks, corrupt officials and those providing political protection, the youth will not get justice,” he said.