Our Future Isn’t a Leak : Students Burn NTA Effigy, Block Shimla Roads in NEET Paper Leak Protest
It wasn’t just another protest at Himachal Pradesh University today. It was a raw outpouring of anger, fear, and betrayal.
Hundreds of students – many who have spent sleepless nights preparing for NEET – gathered at Lal Chowk, Summer Hill, to burn an effigy of the National Testing Agency (NTA). They blocked roads, chanted slogans, and refused to move. Their message was simple: Enough is enough.
The protest was called by the SFI (Students’ Federation of India), but the crowd that showed up went far beyond party workers. It was a flood of young faces – some wiping away tears, others shouting till their voices cracked. For them, this wasn’t politics. It was their future on the line.
Mukesh, the SFI unit secretary at HPU, stood in the middle of the crowd and said what many were feeling: “We will not tolerate any institution – no matter how powerful – that plays with the education of crores of students and the future of this country.”
And then came the act that turned the protest into a spectacle of rage. Activists lit an effigy of the NTA on fire. The flames rose high against the evening sky as students shouted, “Shame! Shame!” Soon after, they sat down on the main road – a “chakka jam” – bringing traffic to a complete halt in Summer Hill and nearby areas.
Why this fury? Because for these students, the NEET and NET paper leaks aren’t just headlines. They’re a punch in the gut. They represent years of hard work, of parents sacrificing everything, of dreams built on honesty – all washed away by corruption and mafia networks that, students allege, enjoy political protection.
“It’s not the first time,” one student told us, his voice trembling. “Even last year, the NET exam was leaked the same way. And nothing happened. No one went to jail. No one resigned.”
That’s why the protesters are now demanding more than just an investigation. They want the NTA dissolved. They want a Supreme Court retired judge to oversee a high-level probe. And they want the Education Minister to step down – immediately.
“He has failed us,” Mukesh said. “If the government doesn’t act now, we will take this fight to every college, every village, and then to Parliament.”
But as the sun set over Shimla and the protesters slowly dispersed, one line from their speeches stayed hanging in the air – heavy, like a promise:
“This is not just about an exam. This is about saving the democratic soul of this country. And the right of poor and middle-class students to dream.”
For now, the roads are clear. But the anger? That’s still burning.
