New Delhi:

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has called for immediate action against the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid the cancellation of the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) exam conducted on June 18.

NSUI, the student wing of the Indian National Congress (INC), in a release, said that this development has once again highlighted serious concerns about the integrity and security of examinations conducted by NTA.

NSUI president Varun Choudhary appealed to the Education Minister to take immediate and decisive action, including banning the NTA and initiating legal proceedings against its officials.

“We have repeatedly pointed out the flaws and vulnerabilities in the examination processes conducted by NTA. The recent compromise of the UGC-NET exam is just one more example of their failure. It is time for the Education Minister to act responsibly and protect students’ interests,” Mr Choudhary stated.

Mr Choudhary has urged UGC-NET students to join a nationwide protest scheduled for June 21, 2024, which will be held at over 180 universities across the country. Additionally, he has called for participation in the Chhattra Sansad Gherav on June 24, 2024, to further pressure authorities into taking action against the NTA and addressing the concerns of students.

“The Education Minister’s inaction and the decision to target students instead of holding NTA accountable is unacceptable. We will continue to protest until justice is served and the examination process is reformed to ensure fairness and transparency,” Mr Choudhary emphasized.

Education Ministry cancelled the UGC-NET held on June 18 “to ensure the highest level of transparency and sanctity” of the examination process, a ministry release said on Wednesday.

As per the release, on June 19, 2024, the University Grants Commission (UGC) received certain inputs from the National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs on the Examination. These inputs prima facie indicate that the integrity of the aforesaid examination may have been compromised.

Simultaneously, the matter is being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for thorough investigation in the matter, it added.

The exam was attended by 81 per cent of over 11.21 lakh registered candidates for the exam in 317 cities across the country, UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)