Thousands of students and teachers from across the country gathered at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to peacefully protest alleged irregularities in SSC selection exams. Issues such as unfair allocation of examination centers, technical problems, and cancellation of exams have agitated the students. The strict action by the police and the arrest of teachers during the demonstration have further deepened the controversy.
New Delhi: On July 31, 2025, Jantar Mantar in Delhi once again became the epicenter of student movements. Thousands of students and teachers from various states of the country united to protest alleged irregularities and technical glitches in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Selection Post Phase 13 examinations. This protest was organized under the ‘Delhi Chalo’ campaign, demanding transparency and fairness in the SSC examination system.
What are the students' objections?
The grievances of the protesting candidates are evident on several levels. Their main complaints are as follows:
- Unfair Allocation of Examination Centers: Many students were allocated examination centers hundreds of kilometers away from their home states. For example, a student from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, received an examination center in Karnataka, increasing both travel and cost problems.
- Technical Glitches: During the examination, the system failed at many centers, servers crashed, the mouse did not work, and at some places, examinees were locked in the rooms. Incidents of alleged assault on some students in Indore have also come to light.
- Sudden Cancellation of Examinations: Several Selection Post Phase 13 examinations, scheduled to be held between July 24 and 26, were canceled without prior notice due to technical and administrative reasons. This caused deep resentment among the students.
- Errors in Answer Keys and Results: Repeated errors in the answer keys and discrepancies in the results have mentally disturbed the students.
- Concerns Related to the Safety of Female Students: Questions have also been raised on incidents of detaining female students till late at some examination centers.
Support from Teachers and Social Media
This protest was supported not only by students but also by teachers who prepare students for competitive exams. Many prominent teachers such as Neetu Mam (English), Rakesh Yadav, Abhinay Sir, Aditya Ranjan, and Gopal Verma participated in the demonstration shoulder to shoulder with the students. The arrest of these teachers further intensified the movement. Tremendous reactions were seen on social media regarding this movement and many hashtags started trending.
Police Action Escalated the Dispute
The demonstration was initially peaceful, but when students and teachers moved towards the DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) office, the police tried to stop them. During this, force was allegedly used and many protesters were taken into custody. In viral videos on social media, the police were seen taking students and teachers in buses to Najafgarh and Bawana police stations.
Some teachers have alleged that they were treated brutally during detention. Allegations have also been made of a teacher's hand being broken and female teachers being taken into custody in the absence of female police officers. No official reaction has been received from the Delhi Police so far in this matter, which has further increased the anger of students and teachers.
This protest was not just against the irregularities in the recent examination, but against years of administrative negligence and lack of communication. The protesters are clearly saying that they will continue the movement until the SSC examination system is reformed.
