DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami appears to have successfully defused the escalating student protests over the UKSSSC examination malpractice allegations by recommending a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. The decision has left the opposition Congress unsettled while also neutralising potential dissent within the ruling BJP.
Even critics within the BJP, including former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who has often made veiled remarks against Dhami’s decisions, were left with little option but to praise his handling of the crisis. At Rawat’s Haridwar residence, supporters reportedly celebrated with firecrackers.
BJP state spokesperson Honey Pathak said Dhami’s move reflected rare foresight. “Comparing him with all Chief Ministers since the formation of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami has shown a level of foresight that makes it clear he has emerged as an extremely sensitive and student-welfare-oriented Chief Minister compared to his predecessors over the last 25 years,” she said.
For several days, Dhami had hinted at a deeper investigation. On Monday, he made an unannounced visit to the protest site at Parade Ground, where he directly engaged with students demanding a CBI inquiry into the exam irregularities.
“I see you protesting in this heat during the festive season. It does not feel good for me either,” he told them, assuring that the government was committed to full transparency in examinations. He announced that the government would recommend a CBI investigation and also promised to withdraw cases registered against protesting students.
The controversy began after three pages of the September 21 graduate-level exam paper leaked at a Haridwar centre. The government initially formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), but students continued to press for a central agency probe.
Acknowledging the stakes, Dhami said he understood the dreams of Uttarakhand’s youth. “I know the students here have beautiful dreams based on securing a government job after studying,” he said, recalling his own struggles.
The Chief Minister confirmed that while the SIT probe, supervised by a retired High Court judge, was already underway, the government would move forward with the CBI recommendation. He also noted that the SIT report would be submitted soon, which could even result in the exam being cancelled. The exam saw 1,05,803 candidates competing for 416 posts.
Explaining his decision to meet students at the protest site rather than call them to his office, Dhami said, “I could have called you to my office, but I felt the pain of you demonstrating here in this intense heat.” He added that youth would play a key role in making Uttarakhand the best state in India during the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of developed India.