Hundreds of students and activists gathered on the campus of Savitribai Phule Pune University on Thursday as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk launched a nationwide agitation demanding sweeping reforms in India’s examination system.The protest, which marked the beginning of a multi-city campaign, which will culminate in Delhi on June 20, was accompanied by the release of a five-point ‘Exam Manifesto’ that seeks accountability for paper leaks, delayed results and alleged irregularities in recruitment and entrance examinations.Positioning the movement as a students’ rights campaign rather than a conventional political mobilisation, Dipke said the manifesto had emerged from conversations with students across the country, including aspirants preparing for state and central recruitment examinations.Addressing supporters in Pune, he said recurring paper leaks, delays in examination results and concerns over the conduct of computer-based tests had left lakhs of students uncertain about their future.Releases Exam ManifestoRs 10,000 for every student if an exam is cancelled/compromisedRs 10,000/month compensation for delays in resultsIndependent audit of computer-based exam systems at least 7 days before every test.Transparency in allocation of examination-related contractsAcademic material should only be altered after public consultation, educational consensusThe centrepiece of the manifesto is a demand for direct compensation to students affected by examination failures.Under the first proposal, every student impacted by a paper leak would receive Rs 10,000 if an examination is cancelled or compromised. The second demand seeks financial compensation for delays in results, with students receiving Rs 10,000 for every month beyond a one-month deadline.Drawing a comparison with the electoral process, Dipke argued, “Governments are able to conduct elections and declare results within fixed timelines, while students are often left waiting months for examination outcomes.”The manifesto also calls for independent audits of computer-based examination systems at least seven days before every test. According to Dipke, such audits should be conducted by agencies with no links to examination authorities or political establishments.Questioning the process through which examination-related contracts are awarded, he demanded greater transparency in tender allocation and warned against what he described as favouritism in the awarding of contracts connected to recruitment and entrance examinations.Another major demand relates to school education. Arguing that academic material should not be altered without broader public consultation and educational consensus, Dipke said, “The restoration of content removed from NCERT textbooks should be ensured.”Before the gathering, Wangchuk echoed concerns over transparency in examinations while presenting the manifesto to supporters.According to organisers, the document focuses on preventing question paper leaks, ensuring timely declaration of results, increasing transparency in recruitment and entrance examinations, strengthening accountability of examination authorities and addressing the hardships faced by students due to repeated disruptions in the examination process.Visuals from the university campus showed demonstrators carrying placards and posters as participation grew through the day.Organisers described the event as the first stop in a nationwide campaign that will travel through several cities before culminating at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20.The CJP has already announced its next protest in Lucknow on June 12 and appealed to students and youth across the country to join what it described as a ‘massive protest’ in the national capital on June 20.Alongside the examination reforms agenda, Dipke reiterated the organisation’s demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that repeated examination controversies had undermined the future of millions of students.With recruitment examinations, entrance tests and result delays continuing to trigger protests across different states, the Pune gathering signals an attempt to bring student grievances under a single national platform, one that is likely to test the government’s response as the campaign moves from university campuses to the streets of Delhi.