Volunteers of the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur continued their agitation today over the alleged supply of poor-quality examination papers and answer scripts, staging a protest at the gate of the Board of Secondary Education Manipur office at Babupara.
The protest was led by the president of the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur, Mayengbam Somorjit Meitei. Carrying placards and raising slogans, the volunteers demanded a proper enquiry into alleged irregularities in the procurement of examination papers, claiming that quality had been compromised.
As the protesters attempted to move towards the office premises around one in the afternoon, a large contingent of police personnel stopped them at the main gate. Security personnel closed the office gate and erected barricades to prevent the demonstrators from entering, resulting in a brief standoff at the entrance.
The student body alleged that certain firms had been supplying substandard answer sheets, raising concerns about the integrity and credibility of the examination process. It demanded strict action against the suppliers involved and called for their immediate blacklisting.
Speaking to the media at the protest site, Mayengbam Somorjit Meitei stated that the organisation had repeatedly raised the issue but received no response from the authorities concerned. He warned that failure to take action, including blacklisting of the firms allegedly responsible, would compel the Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur to intensify its agitation. He also called for a thorough enquiry into the matter, expressing suspicion over the role of the education department due to the lack of official response.
The student body maintained that the issue directly affected students and undermined the credibility of the examination system, urging the authorities to take immediate corrective measures to restore confidence.
Meanwhile, another team of DESAM continue to inspect printing press where text books for the BOSEM are being printed to check the quality of the paper provided.