DOMA Confederation J&K Extends Support to Sonam Wangchuk and Neha Bohra’s Hunger Strike at Jantar Mantar
JAMMU, JULY 17: The Dalit, OBC, Minority and Adivasi Confederation, Jammu and Kashmir, has extended its support to Sonam Wangchuk and Neha Bohra, who are observing an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi over concerns related to repeated examination paper leaks and the future of students and job aspirants.
In a statement issued in Jammu, the Confederation expressed solidarity with the two protesters and with students and young people across the country who, it said, have been raising their voice against irregularities in competitive examinations.
Addressing the media, DOMA Confederation J&K State President R.K. Kalsotra said the concerns being raised by Wangchuk and Bohra deserved serious national attention. He maintained that repeated incidents of paper leaks had caused deep frustration among students and had weakened public confidence in the examination system.
Kalsotra said lakhs of candidates spend years preparing for competitive examinations, often with limited financial resources and under difficult personal circumstances. When examinations are compromised, he said, the loss is not limited to money or time, but also affects the confidence, mental well-being and career prospects of entire families.
He claimed that students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minority communities were among those most severely affected. Many candidates from economically weaker households, he said, depend heavily on government examinations as a pathway to stable employment and social mobility.
The DOMA leader said the burden of repeated examination failures and cancellations falls disproportionately on poor and marginalised families, who often spend their limited savings on coaching, travel, accommodation and application fees.
Kalsotra also supported the demand raised by Wangchuk for accountability at the highest level, including the call for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He said public institutions must accept responsibility when repeated failures threaten the credibility of national examinations.
He further alleged that the public education system and government employment structure had faced sustained pressure in recent years. According to him, appointments to key positions in educational institutions must be transparent, merit-based and consistent with constitutional principles.
Kalsotra said any weakening of reservation safeguards or public education institutions would have serious consequences for social justice and equal opportunity. He stressed that access to quality education and fair recruitment was essential for protecting the rights of disadvantaged communities.
Describing paper leaks as a national issue, he appealed to political parties, civil society groups, student organisations and citizens to rise above ideological and religious differences. He said protecting the integrity of examinations was not the concern of one community or political group, but a shared responsibility.
The Confederation called for stronger preventive mechanisms, independent investigations, strict action against organised examination fraud and greater transparency in the conduct of recruitment and entrance tests.
It also urged the authorities to ensure that affected candidates were not left to bear the consequences of administrative or institutional failures.
Kalsotra said the country’s youth required fairness, certainty and confidence in public institutions. He added that repeated paper leaks could deepen distrust and weaken the belief that hard work and merit would be properly rewarded.
The DOMA Confederation extended its best wishes to Sonam Wangchuk, Neha Bohra and other members of their team. It also expressed concern for their health and urged the authorities to engage with them meaningfully and address the issues raised through dialogue and accountable action.
