Holding copies of the Constitution of India aloft, students and young citizens gathered at Laitumkhrah in Shillong on Monday, asserting that there was little purpose in studying the Constitution if its principles were not practised at the grassroots or reflected in governance, as the city joined the nationwide agitation demanding sweeping reforms in India’s examination system. Organised in solidarity with education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) ongoing nationwide protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the demonstration brought the debate over examination reforms to Meghalaya, with protesters alleging that repeated controversies surrounding competitive examinations had eroded students’ confidence in public institutions and undermined faith in the country’s education system. The demonstrators demanded accountability, transparency and structural reforms, while also seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Standing among the protesters with the Constitution in hand, one participant reflected the sentiment shared by many at the gathering. “There is no point studying Constitution of India if it is not practiced in the grassroots and even in reality. What do we need to study if it is not practiced,” she said.
Demonstrators carried placards reading “India failed its future,” “Children and youths are people too, not statistics,” “Education System need to fix before my son go to school,” “No more paper leak, no more broken dreams,” “Jantar Mantar Shillong speak now, stand up,” “Sonam Wangchuk stood for students, now students stand with Sonam Wangchuk,” and “Who is responsible, accountability now.”
Participants said the issue extended beyond alleged paper leaks to the overall credibility of the country’s examination process, arguing that years of preparation, emotional investment and financial sacrifices made by families were rendered uncertain whenever examinations became mired in controversy.
Dr Suhana, a doctor by profession who qualified the NEET examination, described the psychological burden faced by aspirants and criticised the government’s response. “I have written NEET and I know how difficult it is to go through the exam. I think it’s big stress for the students, they have to go through re-exam and some have committed suicide also. Government is not responding at all. They behaved in a bad way by kidnapping Sonam Wangchuk and I am supporting Sonam Wangchuk. I think both Education Minister as well as Prime Minister should resign.”
Anchal Gurung, a concerned citizen, alleged that repeated examination controversies had taken a severe toll on students. “Due to NEET paper leak, students have committed suicide, many students lost their lives because of faulty education system. Why Dharmendra Pradhan not resigning? Why PM Modi not saying anything? The way Sonam Wangchuk was removed from Jantar Mantar was unethical and from Meghalaya demands the resignation of both Dharmendra Pradhan and PM Modi.”
Musamil, a student of the English and Foreign Languages University, said, “We are offering solidarity to Sonam Wangchuk and when our political system fails, when our politician fails us, we do not get justice. I demand justice for students.”
The protest in Shillong coincided with developments in New Delhi, where the Centre opened its first formal channel of communication with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Union Minister J.P. Nadda met two representatives of the organisation as its “Chalo Sansad” march gathered momentum. CJP leaders said they had submitted a written charter of demands and that the Union Minister had sought time to consult the BJP leadership before responding. The meeting marked the first formal engagement between the Union government and the protesters since the agitation intensified, even as thousands of CJP supporters attempted to march towards Parliament demanding comprehensive examination reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
For the students gathered in Shillong, the protest underscored a broader demand to restore public confidence in constitutional values, strengthen accountability in governance, and safeguard the integrity of India’s education and examination system.
