Fear, anger and hope: The many faces of CJP’s Hyderabad protest

The issue bothers everyone. From a 13-year-old to a 73-year-old retired official.

Hyderabad: On a breezy Sunday morning (June 14) in Hyderabad, students, parents and concerned citizens gathered at Dharna Chowk under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to demand accountability over the irregularities in this year’s NEET UG and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations. They called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and pressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the issue.

The crowd was largely young, aspirants who had studied through the night for examinations that were then mired in controversy, and parents who had staked savings and hope on those same exams. But there were others too – teachers, activists and older citizens who said they had come not just in solidarity, but because they could not stay home.

One of them was a quiet yet bold, 13-year-old Maira Thousif Khan, who accompanied her father to Dharna Chowk carrying a placard that read, “Dharmendra Pradhan Istipha do (Dharmendra Pradan resign).”

“Education should not be restricted to rich people. It is the right of all,” the audience cheered as she spoke on stage.

The Class 9 student has an idea of what is happening in the country, thanks to social media. She told Siasat.com that she fully supports the movement and hopes for a better future for her. “It is our right to receive proper education,” the young teenager said.

‘PM is a shameless man’

The issue bothers everyone. From 13-year-old Maira to 73-year-old Kasturi, a retired parliamentary reporter in Lok Sabha.

“I came here to reignite my hope,” she said. When asked to explain, she said, “Somewhere, I started losing hope that nothing would change. But now, I feel there is light.”

Kasturi was a reporter in the Lok Sabha from 1984 to 1996. From Indira Gandhi to PV Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she has seen the veteran leaders debate in the Lower House. “Those days, leaders and politicians would take accountability. I am not saying India was a corruption-free nation then. There was corruption, red-tape bureaucracy, crime. But the difference was, the public was still the boss. If an accident occurred, or a corruption was exposed, an immediate resignation from top officials and most times, the minister heading the ministry, would follow.”

Now, it’s a whole different world. “Today, there is no one to take responsibility. Lakhs of students’ lives have been tossed off just because someone decided to go the easy way,” she said.

“The Prime Minister is a shameless man. He has not done a single press conference in all these years. He has failed to address the issue. Five students have died by suicide. Yet, there is no statement from him,” she lashed at Narendra Modi.

“But now, seeing so many people today, I feel there is hope,” she smiled.

Hope is a good thing. But fear?

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET UG) is an Indian nationwide entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to undergraduate medical programs across. Every year, lakhs of students appear in hopes of becoming a doctor, a noble profession in middle-class India.

CJP spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya mentioned how parents go to extreme lengths to ensure their children receive the best education. Many take loans with the hope that one day, their son or daughter will repay the debt and see their child excel in life. But when exams turn into horror movies, what happens?

“I am scared. I see so many engineers around me seeking jobs. I am always anxious thinking about my future,” said 22-year-old Avtaar Singh. The young lad is a recent electronics and communications graduate from the Government Institute of Electronics (GIOE) in Seunderabad.

“I graudated from a Telugu-medium government school and a government engineering college. Bachpaan se leke, jawaani tak, poora government (institutions) mein padhai kiya hai (from childhood till adulthoodm I studied in government institutions),” Avtaar Singh said.

Asked about whether he ever thought of shifting to a private school, he says, “Bahut baar. Hamesha! (many times, always).”

“Government schools mein koi facilities nahi hai. Na proper bathrooms hai, aur teachers theek se nahi padaathe. Unko padhaane ka zyada interest nahi hai (government schools don’t have facilities. Neitehr is there a bathroom nor do teachers teach properly. They are not interested),” he said.

Singh also pointed out another challenge: the hurdles he faces in job interviews. “Kyunki, mein Telugu-medium se padha hoon, mujhe proper English nahi aathi. Aur iss wajah se mujhe job interviews mein bahut (challenges) face karna padh raha hai. Interviews sab English mein hai. Mera communication acha nahi hai. Tho bahut problems hai (Because I am from a Telugu-medium school, I don’t know English that well. I face many challenges. All the interviews are in English and that’s why my communication is weak. I face many challenges),” he said.

‘Even teachers feel angry’

Ayesha Qamer came with her friend Raheen Fatimah to show support for the Cockroach Janta Party. Qamer is an Arabic teacher who is as angry as the students.

“We also feel the anger, frustration and helplessness. As a teacher, I will only wish the best for my students. We witness their efforts and the hard work they put in, only to meet the callous behaviour of authorities. How can anyone be quiet?” she told Siasat.com.

Echoing Avtaar Singh, she said that the poor management of government schools leaves parents with little choice but to turn to private schools, which demand exorbitant fees.

Qamar graudated as a student in 1996. Back then, school life was simpler. Students did not have to worry about their future the way they do today. “Studying was not a burden; it was a part of life,” she said.

“Children today study day and night, only to hear that someone, somewhere chose not to work hard and instead took the easy route, thereby destroying the future of millions of others,” she said.

A history of leaks

Arunya Jyothi Edla, an environmental activist from Climate Front Hyderabad, expresses similar views.

The 2013 graduate, Aruna pointed to many paper leaks. Referring to the 2016 EAMCET (Engineering, Agriculture, and Medical Common Entrance Test) paper leak, she said there has not been much change in how the government values students’ lives. “Be it any government, they are unbothered,” she said.

Her friend’s younger sister, who wrote this year’s NEET UG, is dejected. “It may be another re-conduct for the officials, but for students, it’s a traumatic wait filled with overthinking and extreme panic.”

Showing solidarity

Several youngsters were not engineering or medical aspirants but echoed the sentiments. Arnold, a 21-year-old young man, has a Bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from Bhavans Vivekananda College in Sainikpuri.

The budding filmmaker may not find himself in the hot spot, but he resonates with the anxiety and stress that come with preparing for exams. “Even a normal test cancellation can be bothersome. I might not be a NEET aspirant, but to think of studying so hard and then come to know it’s cancelled, it’s horrifying,” he said.

The CJP protest may not have offered immediate answers, but it gave shape to a collective sentiment: that students deserve accountability, parents deserve transparency, and education cannot become another arena where the futures of millions are treated as expendable.

“But wherever there is injustice, the youth will rise for the youth,” Arunya said.