Punjab Youth Congress Holds Massive Protest Against Paper Leaks and Recruitment Scams, Demands Resignation of Education Minister

Chandigarh, August 5, 2026: The Punjab Youth Congress today staged a massive protest from the Punjab Congress Bhawan to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha against the alleged cheating scam in the Pharmacist recruitment examination and the series of paper leak incidents reported in the state. The protest was led by Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib, while Punjab Youth Congress President Shubham Sharma Shubhi led a large number of youth participants.
As the protesters demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, the Punjab Police used water cannons to stop their march towards the Vidhan Sabha. When the protesters refused to disperse, several of them were detained. Despite the police action, the enthusiasm and determination of the Youth Congress workers remained undeterred. The Punjab Youth Congress asserted that its movement to safeguard the future of the state's youth would continue with greater intensity and that the Punjab Government would have to answer for every recruitment scam.
Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib said that the credibility of recruitment examinations has remained under serious question during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party government. He alleged that Punjab has witnessed six major paper leak incidents, and repeated examination leaks and recruitment scams have shattered the dreams of lakhs of hardworking aspirants. He said that instead of accepting responsibility, the government has repeatedly attempted to downplay these incidents while the future of the youth remains at stake. He further alleged that the government is now trying to silence those raising their voice against these irregularities.
Chib said that the same education system that was promised to be transparent has been marred by repeated scandals. He demanded that Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains immediately resign on moral grounds, stating that public confidence among the youth cannot be restored unless accountability is fixed.
Punjab Youth Congress President Shubham Sharma Shubhi alleged that the government has no answers to the recruitment scams and has therefore chosen to suppress democratic protests through police action. He said that the Police used water cannons against peaceful protesters marching towards the Vidhan Sabha and detained several Youth Congress workers. He termed the police action a blatant assault on democratic rights and said that the government should understand that water cannons and arrests cannot silence the voice of Punjab's youth. He asserted that young people would continue to demand accountability for the injustice done to their future and would carry forward their struggle both on the streets and inside democratic institutions.
Shubham Sharma Shubhi demanded a fair and time-bound investigation into the Pharmacist recruitment case, strict legal action against all those responsible, the immediate resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on moral grounds, and a high-level probe into all suspicious recruitment examinations and paper leak cases reported in Punjab.