India student protests demand exam reforms and pellet‑gun ban

Student activists across India have intensified protests over examination paper leaks and alleged irregularities in recruitment tests. The Disha Students’ Organisation held a press conference in Delhi, accusing the government of failing to withdraw FIRs against demonstrators and calling for a complete ban on pellet guns, citing their indiscriminate harm. The group said its 36‑day sit‑in at Jantar Mantar helped force the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, but warned that lasting solutions to paper leaks and education‑system corruption remain lacking.

In Ranchi, Jharkhand, student leader Devendra Nath Mahato began an indefinite hunger strike demanding the cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination and a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the private agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited, which conducts the exams. Mahato’s fast follows months of sit‑ins, arrests and a CID investigation into alleged exam‑paper tampering. Both movements seek greater transparency, accountability and protection for student demonstrators.