Activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) staged separate demonstrations on Sunday outside the residence of Odisha’s School and Mass Education minister Sudam Marndi, alleging a leak of Class 10 state board exam question paper.
Affiliated with the RSS and Congress, respectively, the student activists claimed that the English question paper for the Odisha High School Certificate Examination was leaked on Friday.
“Twenty-four hours passed since the English examination was held but we have not received any complaint about the question paper leak. Some are trying to mislead people and us,” Board of Secondary Education Vice President Nihar Ranjan Mohanty told reporters in Cuttack.
NSUI joined the protest in the evening
The ABVP, which was protesting in the morning, called for a high-level investigation into the alleged leak, while the NSUI, that staged a demonstration in the afternoon, demanded the resignation of the minister.
Both groups, brandishing posters and banners, chanted slogans against Marndi and attempted to enter his official residence.
NSUI activists also organised similar protest before the minister’s house and burnt posters of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Marndi.
The protests were triggered by a purported video of an English question paper and answer sheet circulating on social media.
The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, which oversees the examination, rejected the allegation of a question paper leak on Saturday.
ABVP state secretary Arijit Patnaik criticised the minister’s silence on the issue, stating that they sought answers from him.
“Despite the question paper leak, the minister has remained silent over the issue. We came to his house to seek answers from him,” said Arijit Patnaik, ABVP state secretary.
BJD government accused
ABVP national secretary Budhadeb Bag accused the BJD government of deceiving students and demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged leak, calling for strong action against those involved.
NSUI state president Yashir Nawaz alleged that question paper leaks have become a recurring issue under the BJD government, accusing the administration of allowing the sale of question papers before exams. “As the school and mass education minister has failed to discharge his duty properly, we demand his resignation,” said Nawaz.
Demanding the minister’s resignation for failing in his duties, Nawaz also called for a re-conduct of the Class 10 English exam.
The matriculation examination, which involves over 5.5 lakh students at 3,047 centres across the state, began on February 20 and will conclude on March 4.
