Nakal Jihad Fuels Uttarakhand’s Protest Fire?

The streets of Uttarakhand are witnessing frustrated and unemployed youth. However, the storm of politics that seems to have cleverly latched onto their frustration. While CM Dhami’s government seems to have caught those damaging the exam system, the youth are still on the streets with someone pouring kerosene on their protest fires!

What began as anger over a leaked exam paper has spiraled into a campaign, “Paper Chor, Gaddi Chhod.” Thus, the sloganeering and its projection as a Gen-Z protest raises one question – Are these protests being hijacked to burn the BJP and the state together?

When “Nakal Jihad” Shook Uttarakhand

On the morning of the UKSSSC exam, over 22,000 aspirants sat with dreams of government jobs. However, by afternoon, three leaked pages of the paper spread like wildfire online. The Special Task Force swung into action and arrested Khalid Malik, a junior engineer, and his sister Sabia.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami called it “Nakal Jihad;” warning against coaching mafias and cheating syndicates trying to destroy Uttarakhand’s youth.

Recent police investigations are unable to confirm if it is a syndicate operation or a single miscreant’s work. However, for students of Uttarakhand, the damage was already done. Months of preparation, sleepless nights, and borrowed money for coaching were all reduced to ashes by a few WhatsApp photos. The “peaceful” JE and his sister are under arrests and investigation continues to why they did the deed. However, the youth hit the streets, demanding accountability and justice.

Government Cracks Down, But Distrust Lingers

The Dhami government was quick to order an SIT probe under a retired Supreme Court judge. Strict anti-cheating laws, that were brought in after a 2021 leak, were enforced again. Arrests of the “peacefuls” followed. Yet, a crucial detail fanned the flames: the exam centre in Haridwar, where Khalid sat, had no jammer in his classroom.

The administrative lapse was glaring, leaving aspirants anxious and furious.

This isn’t just about one paper. The 2021 Anti-Cheating Law becomes toothless when the systemic failure is unaddressed. For many, it’s about broken trust. Recruitment tests for police, forest, PWD, and irrigation departments have been delayed for years. Over 22,000 contractual employees wait endlessly for regularization. Every new leak feels like betrayal from a system that promised jobs but delivered chaos.

Who Is Fanning the Flames in Uttarakhand?

Protests are natural when futures are at stake. This is not the first time youth take to the streets to protest. Hwoever, the differnece is that in Dehradun the slogans echo a very familiar tune! “Paper Chor, Gaddi Chhod”—look less like student anger and more like a political script written by Congress.

Youth groups, social outfits, and unemployed associations are marching shoulder to shoulder.

But behind them, opposition parties sense an opportunity.

The Congress dismissed “Nakal Jihad” as communal politics. Left-leaning activists amplified the anger on social media, painting the government as the villain. Suddenly, a protest about exams is being painted as part of a wider “Gen Z Protest.” The same regime change protests that are sweeping South Asia – from Dhaka to Kathmandu to Jakarta.

Are students fighting for justice? Or are they being turned into foot soldiers in a larger campaign to embarrass ruling governments?

The Larger Question: Protest or Political Plot?

CM Dhami insists his government will “bury the copying mafia underground.” Yet, the unrest continues. The fear isn’t just about one exam. Instead, it’s about the recurring leaks that crush the hopes of an entire generation. But the way protests have escalated, one must ask:

• Are genuine frustrations of youth being twisted into an anti-BJP crusade?
• Is the “Paper Chor” slogan a spontaneous cry or a planted campaign?
• And most importantly, who gains if Uttarakhand’s streets burn?

Because if protests stop being about jobs and start being about politics, the future of thousands of students risks being sacrificed on the altar of power.

In the end, “Nakal Jihad” warning is more than just cheating by a syndicate or organization. Whether proven or not, such actions erode public trust staking youth’s aspirations for a job. This becomes more lethal when the politics misuse the frustrations of youth, who are tired of waiting.

Bharat asks – who will they hold accountable: the paper leak criminals, the government, or the political puppeteers pulling the strings in the name of Gen-Z?