NSUI holds protest, burns effigy of rail minister over police brutality against job aspirants

The Congress’ student wing workers held a demonstration in front of the Railway Ministry here on Thursday against police brutality on job aspirants protesting the alleged irregularities in a recruitment exam by the national transporter.

President of the National Students’ Union of India Neeraj Kundan led a protest march to the Railway Ministry, where an effigy of minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was burnt, the outfit said in a statement.

”The protesters who crossed the barricades erected by the police were detained and was taken to the Mandir Marg Police station,” it stated.

Kundan said that students were the worst sufferers of the Covid pandemic.

”The government is completely ignoring the education sector. Before taking vital decisions the government doesn’t consult the students concerned, instead of imposing unnecessary new rules on them. If they protest, they are beaten,” he alleged.

The NSUI national president claimed that over 1,40,000 posts are vacant in CBT 2 group D since 2019. ”The government doesn’t conduct the examination. If they do so, the (question) paper gets leaked. If by chance the exam is held results take long and if in any case the result gets declared candidates do not get appointments,” Kundan alleged.

On January 26, the Railways suspended its NTPC and Level 1 exams after the candidates went on a rampage in some states alleging irregularities in the process whilst minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged them not to destroy public property and assured redressal of their grievances.

The railways had on Tuesday issued a general notice, warning its job aspirants that those found involved in vandalism and unlawful activities while protesting would be barred from ever getting recruited in the railways. This came a day after protesters squatted on railway tracks in several places in Bihar.