Political tensions over examination-related controversies in Punjab intensified on Tuesday as the Punjab Youth Congress staged a high-profile protest outside the official residence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains in Rupnagar, demanding his resignation and warning of a statewide agitation if their demand is not met within five days.
Led by Punjab Youth Congress President Shubham Sharma Shubhi, hundreds of party workers gathered outside the minister’s residence, accusing the state government of failing to ensure accountability over alleged irregularities in recruitment and examination processes. The demonstration quickly escalated into a confrontation with police as protesters attempted to march towards the minister’s residence.
Security personnel erected barricades to prevent the march, but protesters reportedly broke through the police barricades after a brief scuffle and reached the entrance of the minister’s residence. They later staged a sit-in protest outside the premises, raising slogans against the Punjab Government and the Education Minister.
As part of the demonstration, some protesters smeared black paint on the signboard installed outside the minister’s residence, describing it as a symbolic expression of their anger over what they alleged was the government’s failure to take responsibility for examination-related controversies.
The Education Minister was not present at the residence during the protest. In his absence, the Tehsildar of Anandpur Sahib reached the venue and received a memorandum submitted by the Youth Congress delegation.
In the memorandum, the organisation demanded the immediate resignation of Harjot Singh Bains, arguing that the Education Minister should accept moral responsibility for the controversies surrounding examinations conducted during his tenure.
The Youth Congress also issued an ultimatum to the state government, warning that if the minister does not resign within five days, the organisation will intensify its agitation across Punjab.
According to the memorandum, the next phase of the campaign will include a gherao of the Education Minister’s office in Chandigarh and district-level demonstrations across the state, during which effigies of the Education Minister and the Punjab Government will be burned as a mark of protest.
Addressing supporters during the demonstration, Punjab Youth Congress President Shubham Sharma Shubhi alleged that multiple examination-related controversies had surfaced during the current government’s tenure and claimed that no meaningful accountability had been established despite repeated public concerns.
He argued that public confidence in the recruitment and examination system could only be restored if responsibility was fixed at the highest level.
Drawing parallels with recent developments at the national level, Shubhi referred to the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following protests linked to the NEET-UG examination controversy, claiming that similar standards of accountability should apply in Punjab.
He further alleged that senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, had earlier maintained that ministers should be held accountable if examination-related irregularities occurred under their departments.
According to the Youth Congress leader, the ruling party was now departing from that position, prompting the opposition to launch a broader public campaign on the issue.
He maintained that the Youth Congress would continue its protests until the Education Minister resigned and indicated that demonstrations would be expanded across different districts in the coming days.
The protest marks the latest escalation in the political confrontation between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress over examination integrity and recruitment transparency, an issue that has increasingly become part of the state’s political discourse.
While the Youth Congress has intensified its demand for the minister’s resignation, the Punjab Government has maintained in recent statements that it has acted promptly against instances of alleged examination malpractice and has distinguished isolated cheating attempts from allegations of examination paper leaks.
With the opposition signalling a wider statewide campaign, the issue is expected to remain at the centre of Punjab’s political debate in the days ahead, adding further pressure on the government as both sides seek to shape public opinion on transparency, accountability and the integrity of the state’s education system.