Chitradurga (Karnataka) [India], June 6 (ANI): Thousands of students staged a large-scale demonstration in Chitradurga, protesting alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, including reports of a paper leak.

The protest was led by National Students' Union of India (NSUI) National President Vinod Jakhar, Karnataka State President Kirthi Ganesh, and Chitradurga District President Kiran Yadav. Students from across the district gathered and raised slogans demanding accountability from the Union Ministry of Education and the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Addressing the rally, NSUI National President Vinod Jakhar said, 'The future of over 22 lakh hardworking NEET aspirants has been ruthlessly compromised and sold off by a negligent Central Government. We demand nothing less than the immediate resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the permanent dissolution of the corrupt NTA.'

State President Kirthi Ganesh said the repeated irregularities have caused 'immense mental trauma to both students and parents across Karnataka.'

District President Kiran Yadav coordinated the mobilisation of students in Chitradurga for the protest.

The NSUI stated that it has issued an ultimatum to the central government and plans to intensify protests nationwide until what it called 'absolute justice, a Supreme Court-monitored investigation, and absolute transparency' are achieved.

Officials from the Union Ministry of Education and the NTA have previously denied allegations of a widespread leak and stated that investigations into reported malpractices are underway. The NEET-UG exam was held earlier this year for admission to undergraduate medical courses across the country.

Meanwhile, the NSUI had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, raising concerns over the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class XII board examinations.

The student body has sought reopening of the verification process, manual checking of answer sheets in disputed cases, and an independent inquiry into the functioning of the digital evaluation system. (ANI)