Kohima, July 24: The North East Students’ Organization (NESO) on Friday strongly condemned the police action against students protesting in New Delhi over alleged examination irregularities, accusing the Centre of responding with force instead of engaging in dialogue.
In a statement, NESO described the baton charge, use of tear gas and the reported deployment of plainclothes personnel armed with lathis during the July 20 protest as an “assault on democratic values” and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
The apex students’ body of the Northeast criticised the Government of India for what it termed an “insensitive handling” of an issue affecting the future of millions of students and job aspirants. It alleged that instead of addressing the protesters’ concerns through meaningful dialogue, the authorities resorted to “repression and intimidation.”
NESO said the students’ demands—including action against repeated competitive examination paper leaks and reforms to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness in recruitment and examination systems—were legitimate and deserved immediate attention.
“The aspirations and hard work of countless deserving students must never be sacrificed because of systemic failures, corruption or administrative negligence,” the organisation said.
Expressing solidarity with the protesters, NESO also conveyed concern for students injured during the police crackdown and wished them a speedy recovery.
The organisation urged the Centre to immediately initiate sincere dialogue with the aggrieved students, ensure accountability for the alleged excessive use of force by the police, and introduce comprehensive reforms to restore the credibility, transparency and integrity of the country’s examination and recruitment systems.
 on Friday strongly condemned the police action against students protesting in New Delhi over alleged examination irregularities, accusing the Centre of responding with force instead of engaging in dialogue.){kind=link}