SOLAN: Public anger erupted in Solan today against the recurring stains of paper leaks on the country’s examination system and the alleged tampering with the future of the youth.
Expressing solidarity with environmentalist and scientist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for the last 20 days, hundreds of youths, women, retired administrative officers, and intellectuals staged a one-day hunger strike and symbolic protest at the Children’s Park in Solan.
The demonstration was jointly organized under the aegis of several social and public outfits, including the ‘Jaagruk Yuva Sangathan’ and ‘Jaagruk Nagrik Manch’. Prominent citizens and representatives of various organizations sat on the hunger strike to raise their voices against systemic corruption.
Addressing the gathering, former IAS officer Sharabh Negi and retired Gujarat University professor CP Bhasin raised serious questions over the country’s current examination system. They stated that the future of crores of bright and hardworking youth has been pushed into darkness, adding that frequent exam cancellations and paper leaks have now assumed the form of a “mental pandemic” that must be stopped immediately.
Advocate Manoj Verma alleged that the education system has been turned into a business by an active education mafia, which no one wants to address. He noted that since Sonam Wangchuk has come forward to highlight this, people from various fields—including panchayat representatives, students, retired judges, police officers, and professors—gathered in Solan on the call of the Jaagruk Yuva Sangathan to support him through a one-day hunger strike. Verma added that Wangchuk is voicing the pain of millions of students who spend years and lakhs of rupees preparing for exams, only to find the papers leaked.
Chetna, a protestor who traveled from Bilaspur to participate in the Solan demonstration, said she is supporting Wangchuk because his demand includes the resignation of the education minister. She demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, stating that continuous paper leaks across the country are driving students to suicide after they spend the entire year working hard and spending lakhs on coaching.
Another protestor, Shreya Sharma from Solan, targeted the Union Minister, claiming that Dharmendra Pradhan seems indifferent to what is happening in the country’s education system. She argued that if the minister is unaware of who is protesting at Jantar Mantar, for how long, and for what cause, he has no right to remain in office.
A major decision was taken during the meeting today. To support the nationwide agitation, various organizations have decided to hold a massive and widespread demonstration in Solan on July 20, 2026, at 11:00 AM. The protestors made it clear that this fight is for the rights of the youth and will be intensified further. The issue saw people in Solan cutting across political and social lines to unite on a single platform.
