'Batons instead of answers': Teachers, students lathi-charged for protesting against SSC mismanagement

Thousands of teachers and students today staged a protest at Jantar Mantar against the alleged mismanagement of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), last-minute exam cancellation, and irregularities in the conduct of the exam. During the protest, the police allegedly resorted to lathicharge against the protesters, many of whom were teachers. The videos of the incident have gone viral on social media in the past few hours.

The major reason for the protest was the sudden cancellation and postponement of the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 exam. The commission recently cancelled the exam scheduled from July 24 to 26 in some centres due to administrative reasons and technical glitches.

In a shocking incident, several candidates who appeared for the SSC Selection Post exam in Indore were locked up inside the exam centre and beaten by the staff for questioning the technical glitches and mismanagement in the exam.

Soon after the incident surfaced on social media, aspirants began flooding X with posts expressing their disappointment over the functioning of the SSC. Other exams conducted by the Commission also drew heavy criticism, with aspirants calling for a complete overhaul of the system using hashtags like #SSCMisManagement, #SSCVendorFailure, and #SSCReform.

Also read ‘No one should pursue B.Ed’: Aspirants slam Jharkhand govt for stalling JTET for 9 years

#SSCReform: Differently-abled aspirants join protests

Sharing an image of a teacher, whose hands were broken during the lathicharge, a X user wrote: “Those who go on the Kanwar Yatra are showered with flowers by the government. But those who speak up for education, fair exams, and students’ rights are brutally beaten and have their hands broken. Is this the idea of “New India”? #SSC_System_Sudharo,” a user wrote on X.

Another angry netizen wrote: “Every year, there are irregularities in the SSC exams—sometimes outdated questions, sometimes technical failures, or something else. Now students have taken to the streets, raising their voices for their rights. But in response, they received batons, injuries, and arrests.”

In a heart-wrenching video shared on X, differently-abled candidates were seen protesting for reforms after repeated exam cancellations, paper leaks, and administrative failures.

“Just look at these deaf and mute students, how much hardship they’ve endured to study and reach this point. And for the sake of a single government job, they’re forced to face batons on the streets. Bravo! World leader, your system!!!” a X user said.

#SSC_System_Sudharo #SSCReforms
ज़रा इन मूक बधिर छात्रों को देखिए, कितनी मुसीबत से तो पढ़ाई करके यहां तक पहुंचे हैं। और एक अदद सरकारी नौकरी की खातिर सड़क पर लाठी खाने को मजबूर हैं।
वाह रे! विश्वगुरु तेरा सिस्टम!!! pic.twitter.com/DAC7N1DDqt

— बेसिक शिक्षा सूचना केंद्र (@Info_4Education) July 31, 2025

Author Laxman Yadav wrote: “Thousands of SSC candidates are protesting. They allege that government negligence and alleged conspiracy in the online system and examination process are ruining their future. Later, the police used batons. They arrested them and took them to the police station.”

Expressing solidarity, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) said: “Teachers came to ask why exam papers keep leaking repeatedly? Why have exams like SSC become a hub of malpractice? But instead of answering, the Modi government resorted to baton-charging and arresting teachers. Now, there is neither justice nor accountability left in the country — only oppression remains."