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‘Want jobs, not pellet guns’: Student anger boils over at Rahul Gandhi event

Several students at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj said the uncertainty surrounding recruitment examinations had taken a heavy toll on them.

Gandhi addressed a large gathering of students and competitive examination aspirants at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme at KP Ground in Prayagraj. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Written by: Manish Sahu

4 min readPrayagrajAug 9, 2026 06:47 AM IST First published on: Aug 8, 2026 at 09:20 PM IST

Barely a month after students took to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to protest against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Prayagraj on Saturday brought the frustration and mental strain of young people back into focus.

Addressed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the event drew a 50,000-strong crowd of students and job aspirants angry over repeated examination cancellations and allegations of question-paper leaks.

That frustration was also visible on the streets leading to the venue, KP Inter College Ground in the George Town area, which was lined with banners and posters reflecting the anger of students and job aspirants. Among the slogans on display were “We want jobs, not pellet guns”, “Job nahi milegi toh singhasan hilega” and “Job do ya istifa”.

Shivam Singh, a Prayagraj resident preparing for competitive examinations, said: “We are students whose future depends on the government. Instead of addressing our concerns, the present government is trying to harass us and use force to silence our voices.”

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Youth attending "Chatron Ki Goonj" programme addressed by Rahul Gandhi in Prayagraj on saturday. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

AICC Leader Rahul Gandhi hold “Chatron Ki Goonj” programme at K P Ground in Prayagraj on Saturday. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Singh completed his postgraduate studies two years ago and began preparing for government recruitment examinations soon afterwards. As the eldest of four siblings, he said he felt a responsibility to find a job and contribute financially to his family.

Rajesh Pal, 26, from Basti, was among those who attended the gathering. He said his family had been staunch supporters of the BJP but had been upset by the police lathicharge on students protesting in Delhi.

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“Those protesting in Delhi were only demanding that the examination system be streamlined and that those responsible for irregularities be held accountable. Instead, the central government used force against the students,” Pal said.

He said he could not travel to Delhi because of other commitments but had decided to attend the event in Prayagraj. Pal lives in rented accommodation in Prayagraj, where he enrolled at a coaching institute to prepare for competitive examinations.

Another aspirant, 31-year-old Awadhesh Pal from Kaushambi district, has been living in Prayagraj for the past six years while preparing for competitive examinations.

“I have appeared for several competitive examinations, but the results of many are still awaited. Several others have been cancelled because of question-paper leaks,” Pal said adding, “I have come here to support the students’ protest and raise their concerns with Rahul Gandhi.”

All three aspirants said they had also taken part in the May 29 protest in Prayagraj — a major coaching hub — where students took to the streets demanding the release of scorecards for the Uttar Pradesh Police Sub-Inspector examination and the cancellation of the Lekhpal recruitment examination over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process. The protesters, at the time, had called for greater transparency and accountability in the state’s recruitment system.

Permission cancelled, then granted

The choice of the KP Inter College ground as the venue for the event had initially sparked a dispute.

The Kayastha Pathshala Trust, which owns the ground, had initially refused permission to hold the event, citing an Allahabad High Court order that restricts the venue’s use to sports and educational activities. The Trust had also said the ground was waterlogged. The Congress, which is heading the campaign, had alleged it was a pressure tactic by the BJP.

Permission was later granted subject to certain conditions, said the Trust’s general secretary, S D Kautilya.