New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday extended support to protesting students in Maharashtra, alleging that BJP-led governments have failed to address issues such as paper leaks, stalled recruitment, rising education costs and poor hostel conditions.
In a post on X, Gandhi said thousands of students were protesting peacefully in Maharashtra, arguing that their concerns went beyond a single examination or recruitment process.
He alleged that students were facing problems including paper leaks, delayed recruitments, the high cost of education, poor hostel conditions, unsafe food and alleged fraud in direct benefit transfers (DBT).
Gandhi also accused the government of undermining the credibility of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), a constitutional body.
Rahul Gandhi demands action on students’ concerns
Gandhi said the demands raised by students for a secure future were justified and urged the government to listen to them and take immediate action.
He warned that if the concerns were not addressed, student protests could intensify.
His remarks came amid a Mumbai Police investigation into an alleged question paper leak in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Inspector examination.
MPSC Drug Inspector exam under investigation
The screening examination for the Drug Inspector post was conducted offline on March 22 at six divisional headquarters across Maharashtra. The result was declared on June 12.
Following the completion of interviews, the Commission published a provisional general merit list containing 488 candidates, including 485 eligible and three ineligible candidates.
However, between July 22 and July 26, the Commission received complaints from candidates and public representatives alleging malpractice in the March 22 examination.
The complaints claimed that some candidates had received the question paper or questions before the examination, allegedly on March 20, and that the material was later circulated through social media and electronic platforms.
Six arrested in alleged question paper leak case
On Tuesday, accused Rutuja Patil was taken into custody from Nandurbar by the Property Cell of the Crime Branch.
Earlier, on August 26, the Crime Branch arrested six people in connection with the alleged breach of confidentiality related to the MPSC Drug Inspector (Group-B) examination.
The case has been registered under the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Malpractices) Act, 2024, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
