BuzzBytes News Network
New Delhi, Jul 23 (BuzzBytes): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in examination paper leaks, declaring that nothing is more important than the welfare and future of the country’s youth and that those who try to harm it “will not be spared.”
In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister said: “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.” The Prime Minister said he had directed concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard, describing it as part of a continuing series of measures to safeguard students’ interests.
The announcement comes as protests over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in the NEET examination have intensified nationwide. Three days ago, thousands of students led by the Kakroch Janta Party had taken out a “Sansad Chalo” march demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a transparent probe into the alleged exam irregularities; police used lathi charges and tear gas to disperse protesters during the demonstration, injuring several students, while police said more than a hundred personnel were also hurt in the clashes. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 over the issue; Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Dr Jitendra Singh visited him at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital on Wednesday, while Nadda also met injured students being treated at New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and held talks with representatives of the protesting group. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Prime Minister had raised the paper-leak issue at a meeting of the NDA parliamentary party on Tuesday, terming it a “ghor paap” (grave sin) and saying strict action would be taken against those involved so that no one dares play with the future of the country’s youth; Rijiju said the government acted swiftly to arrest 13 people as soon as reports of the leak surfaced, and that the NEET re-examination and results were issued without undue delay. The government has said it is ready for a detailed discussion on the NEET paper leak issue in Parliament, though a senior central government official rejected demands for Pradhan’s resignation, saying he was not directly involved.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a separate message on X, said the welfare of the country’s youth and securing their bright future is the Modi government’s foremost priority and firm resolve, and that the decision to set up fast-track courts for swift hearings and strict punishment in serious matters like paper leaks was a practical expression of that commitment. “This decision by the Prime Minister will prove to be an effective step against those who play with the future of the youth,” Shah said, adding that crimes like paper leaks affect the hard work, trust and future of lakhs of students, and that the government would show no leniency in such matters.
—(BuzzBytes)
