One thing I’ve been seeing a lot over the last few days is people questioning protests….
“Why now?”
“Paper leaks have always happened.”
“Student suicides have been happening for years.”
“Why are people suddenly protesting now?”
But I think that’s exactly the problem.
The reported examination paper leaks in India in the last two years include seven major examinations. And these are only the ones that became public. Many more may never have been officially documented.
For countless students, it feels as though almost every major examination now carries the fear of a leak.
The NEET paper leak became a turning point because it brought years of frustration into the national spotlight.
The frustration has reached its threshold and the lid has opened now.
You can’t ask people questioning, “Why now?”
Should they wait for dozens more paper leaks and ruined futures before asking questions?
There is nothing wrong with asking for accountability or demanding a fair and transparent education system.
For millions of students, education is the only path to a better future.
Every student deserves an equal opportunity to compete based on merit.
A compromised examination is one of the most unfair things that can happen to a student who has worked hard despite their circumstances.
When students raise these concerns peacefully, they deserve to be heard.
Not dismissed.
Not intimidated.
Or subjected to unnecessary force.
Peaceful protest and questioning public institutions are fundamental rights in a democracy.
The irony is that the BJP itself emerged from decades of political movements and protests against the then-dominant political establishment.
Yet today, many people perceive that those who protest against the government are often labelled “anti-national” by some of its supporters or leaders.
History shows that when any political organization remains in power for a long time and becomes arrogant, complacent, or disconnected from public concerns, dissent tends to grow and new political movements emerge.
History keeps repeating itself when those in power fail to learn from the mistakes of the past.
The loss of trust in the examination system is heartbreaking.
Rebuilding that trust requires transparency, accountability, and meaningful reforms so that every student can believe their hard work will be rewarded fairly.
Because if today we normalize paper leaks by saying,
“This has been happening every year. What’s new?”
Then there will be a day in the future where people say,
“One hundred students dying because of an examination is normal. That has been happening every year. What’s new? Why are you fighting over it now?”
That is exactly how societies normalize injustice.
Every student deserves a fair chance.
And every student has every right to demand that fair chance.
-Jahnavi Chowdary
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