The Jharkhand government has cancelled 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the state Public Service Commission (JPSC) and an outsourced agency since 2014, including the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, following a 25-day student agitation over alleged irregularities. This decision has led to protests from around 2,000 candidates who had already been appointed to various state government departments after clearing the JSSC-CGL exam.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has strongly condemned controversial remarks made by right-wing political observer T G Mohandas regarding student protests, stating they are his 'personal thoughts' and deserve to be denounced.
The Supreme Court was strongly urged to establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a former judge to investigate alleged police excesses against students protesting the NEET paper leak across various states. The court, while issuing interim directions, restrained states from coercive action against protesters and ordered the release of minors without criminal antecedents.
Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal has strongly criticised the Central government's crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters, comparing the police brutality to that of the British Raj. He announced the launch of a helpline to provide medical and legal aid to injured protesters and their families.
Hundreds of students and supporters returned to Jantar Mantar to protest alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, asserting that police action on Monday had only strengthened their resolve. The demonstration, joined by parents, reiterated demands for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and called for greater transparency and fairness in competitive exams.
Swatantra Bharadwaj, accused of assaulting Nishu Azad's father during a CJP protest, claims he acted in self-defence against a mob, stating he has video evidence and that medical reports show no serious injuries, contradicting earlier claims of a skull fracture.
'My suggestion to Nandan Nilekani is that it would be worthwhile for him to take a holistic review in a manner in which examination is just one critical component.'
Dialogue must be encouraged rather than adoption of hardline stands, violence and use of force, recommends Biswajit Dasgupta.
Student organisations across India are protesting the National Testing Agency's (NTA) decision to re-conduct the UGC-NET examinations for three subjects, citing repeated lapses that jeopardise students' academic and career plans. They are demanding the NTA be scrapped or held accountable for its failures.
In the emotional note, the student, Akanksha Chaturvedi, said there was 'no guarantee' that she would score good marks in the retest, and said she had 'ruined everything' for them.
The family of a 15-year-old girl, whose alleged abusive remarks against PM Modi went viral, is untraceable from their Noida residence. Local police deny receiving harassment complaints, while the family had previously appealed to the PM for forgiveness and claimed police visits.
A young woman is on ventilator support at RML Hospital after sustaining injuries during police action at a CJP protest in New Delhi. The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, involved thousands marching towards Parliament to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities. Both police personnel and protesters reported injuries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended birthday wishes to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, commending his significant contributions to the implementation of the National Education Policy. This praise follows the successful re-examination of NEET-UG, despite earlier controversies surrounding paper leaks.
Government departments requested social media platforms to remove 2.44 lakh pieces of content between March and July, with states initiating 82% of these requests. The IT Intermediaries Rules 2021 were amended to reduce takedown time to three hours. The PIB Fact Check unit clarified its role in content moderation, refuting claims of automated blocking by Meta and emphasising the need to address lawlessness in cyberspace.
Kumar has been arrested from Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district, a senior police source said, adding of the four others arrested along with Kumar, two are his nephews.
At least two assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) and four personnel were injured in a stone-pelting incident by protesters near Jantar Mantar on Wednesday evening, police sources said.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) will operate as a 'pressure group' to address issues like public trust, unemployment, and institutional accountability, with founder Abhijeet Dipke declaring support for protesting students in Jharkhand and advocating for those involved in NEET paper leak agitations.
The Kayastha Pathshala Trust has revoked permission for Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme in Prayagraj, citing an Allahabad High Court order restricting the use of KP College ground and waterlogging. Despite the cancellation, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai insists Gandhi will still interact with students on August 8 and has sought an alternative venue, alleging political obstruction.
Punjab's Aryan Gupta and Haryana's Panshul Bansal topped the NEET-UG for medical admissions as 11.21 lakh candidates qualified the entrance exam this year, the National Testing Agency announced on Thursday.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has issued an apology for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post, while company executives acknowledged significant content moderation failures, including issues with child sexual abuse material, deepfakes, and the paid boosting of certain content.
Families of students detained during the Cockroach Janta Party protest in Delhi said they had been unable to contact them for hours and did not know whether any charges had been filed, as concerns mounted over the whereabouts of those detained.
The chants fell silent and calm descended on Jantar Mantar on Sunday, a day after the 36-day agitation over irregularities in exams and the NEET paper leak ended with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has launched a scathing attack on the Modi government, accusing it of responding to student demands for accountability and educational reforms with 'cowardice and wanton cruelty,' treating them as 'enemies of the nation.' She further alleged that the government has degraded India's education landscape and routinely chooses violence over dialogue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi staged a six-hour dharna at a police station in New Delhi, demanding an FIR for 19-year-old Sahil Lochab, who sustained pellet gun injuries during a July 20 protest. The FIR was registered after Gandhi's protest, with the BJP criticising his actions as 'politics of anarchy'.
Fitch Ratings has affirmed India's sovereign credit rating at 'BBB-' with a stable outlook, acknowledging robust growth prospects and strong external finances. However, the agency highlighted concerns over elevated government debt, lagging structural metrics, and potential fiscal spending pressures due to rising youth unemployment.
Lucknow University has launched an inquiry and police have detained an assistant professor following allegations of misconduct involving a female student, including claims of inappropriate conversations and offers to leak examination papers.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale stated that opposing reservation is unconstitutional and that the policy would be given up if casteism is eliminated. He highlighted the historical context of reservations for SC/ST and OBCs, and the Modi government's EWS quota. Athawale also criticised the opposition, praised government achievements, and discussed various welfare schemes and infrastructure projects in Chhattisgarh.
Activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday stood firm on his demand for Kunbi caste certificates for all Marathas as his indefinite hunger strike entered the second day, warning that he would march to Mumbai if the Maharashtra government failed to act.
Many of them travelled to Delhi in groups or connected with other participants through WhatsApp groups and activist networks. These networks helped them coordinate their travel, decide meeting points and stay in touch during the protest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded young Indian innovators for the country's first privately developed orbital rocket, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, which made India the third nation with private orbital launch capabilities. While praising the 28-year-old average age of the Skyroot team, Modi made a veiled remark about a "56-year-old young man," widely understood to be a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently turned 56.
The Centre on Monday made public the rules under the recently-notified anti-paper leak law, mandating the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to prepare norms, standards and guidelines for the computer-based tests among others.
The Congress party is set to challenge the Modi government on a range of critical issues, including alleged theft of Ram temple donations, 'systemic corrosion' of the education system, and constitutional amendment bills related to delimitation and dismissal of ministers, during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The Jharkhand government is holding fresh discussions with student aspirants protesting alleged recruitment exam irregularities, even as the health of key protest leader Devendra Nath Mahto has significantly deteriorated after being on an indefinite hunger strike for about a week.
A preliminary police inquiry into allegations that an assistant professor at the University of Lucknow leaked examination papers has found no evidence of any leak so far, officials said. The accused teacher, Paramjeet Singh, was arrested and remanded to judicial custody after allegations surfaced that he pressured a student and offered her a leaked paper.
As Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike entered the 17th day, concerns over the famed environmentalist and educationist's rapidly deteriorating health intensified, prompting appeals from political leaders, celebrities and social media urging him to end his fast.
The Delhi High Court has directed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to remove allegedly objectionable social media posts targeting BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia. The court emphasised the need for verified and articulate expression, even while acknowledging the youth's right to protest. The case involves a defamation lawsuit filed by Bhatia over posts containing a wrongly attributed quote.
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The Supreme Court has decided to form a high-powered committee, including retired judges and former top police officials, to investigate allegations of police excesses against student protesters in Delhi. The committee will examine video evidence and complaints, particularly from female protesters, and the court may quash FIRs against students without grave criminal antecedents, upholding the right to peaceful protest.
A 47-year-old Army officer arrested in connection with a recruitment exam paper leak in Pune was on Monday remanded in police custody till March 15.
Meta's global team met with top Indian IT Ministry officials following government summons regarding the temporary restriction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post and ongoing concerns about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platforms.
