Badrinath: Bageshwar Dham head Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has made a sharp remark on the NEET paper leak issue, saying that students should not be made to suffer for failures in the examination system. Speaking during a Shri Satyanarayan Katha at Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand, Shastri said the responsibility for such lapses must be fixed on the system, not on the children who prepare for years with hope and hard work.
Referring to the concerns of students affected by the alleged paper leak, Shastri said that several young aspirants had recently met him and shared their distress. According to him, the students were emotionally shaken because their morale had been affected after learning about the paper leak.
During his address, Shastri tried to encourage students by reciting a devotional line and urging them not to lose courage. He said that success and God are not found by merely searching, but by becoming completely immersed in the effort. His message was aimed at students who feel helpless when competitive exams are hit by irregularities.
Taking a dig at the system, Shastri said, “Papers get leaked, but elections never get leaked.” He further remarked that if the votes of leaders were ever leaked, the seriousness of the situation would perhaps be understood better. His statement drew attention among the devotees present at the venue.
Shastri also highlighted the financial and emotional burden carried by poor and middle class families. He said thousands of parents work as farmers, labourers or take loans to pay coaching fees, hoping their children will become doctors and secure the family’s future. When a paper leak happens, he said, it does not only disturb an examination but also damages the mental, social and economic condition of entire families.
Appealing to the Centre, Shastri said that if a paper leak happens due to the fault of the examination system, then the system should bear the responsibility. He suggested that in such cases, the next examination fee of affected students should be waived.