The Students Federation of India (SFI) on Monday accused the Delhi Police of detaining several of its leaders and activists during a protest march toward the National Testing Agency (NTA) headquarters in the national capital. The demonstration, called 'Chalo NTA,' was organized to submit a memorandum demanding the abolition of the examination body amid allegations of serious irregularities in the UGC-NET 2026 examination held in June.
Alleged Detentions and Assaults
According to the SFI, those detained included Delhi state president Sooraj Elamon, joint secretary Mehina Fathima, vice president Arif Siddiqui, and committee members Sakhi, Anil, and Sohan. The student organization claimed that instead of allowing a peaceful democratic protest, police physically assaulted and detained students, attempting to suppress their legitimate demands for a fair and credible examination system.
Irregularities in UGC-NET 2026
The protest was triggered by multiple alleged irregularities in the UGC-NET 2026 examination, which the SFI said had raised serious concerns about the credibility of the country's examination system. Specific complaints included the cancellation of the Jalandhar examination due to technical failures, large-scale repetition of questions across multiple subjects, spelling and factual errors, and allegations that AI-generated questions were used in the paper.
SFI's Statement and Demands
In a statement, the SFI said: "SFI strongly condemns the brutal detention of students by the Delhi Police during the 'Chalo NTA' protest held today. Students had assembled to march peacefully to the National Testing Agency (NTA) office to submit a memorandum demanding the scrapping of the NTA in light of the serious irregularities in the UGC-NET examination." The federation reiterated its demands for the immediate scrapping of the NTA, an independent inquiry into the UGC-NET irregularities, and accountability for all those responsible for repeated failures that have jeopardized the future of lakhs of students.
No Immediate Response
There was no immediate response from the Delhi Police or the National Testing Agency regarding the allegations made by the SFI. The student organization vowed to continue its struggle for justice and educational accountability, stating that attempts to silence student voices through police repression would not deter their efforts.
