Hyderabad: A Lok Bhavan protest turned tense in Hyderabad on Tuesday after police detained several student leaders. The protesters had attempted to march towards Lok Bhavan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
The Telangana units of SFI, AISF, PDSU and AIFDS jointly organised the protest. They said the programme expressed solidarity with the student movement at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The organisations also demanded the dismissal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET irregularities.
Student leaders attempted to march from the Khairatabad junction towards Lok Bhavan. However, police blocked the procession, leading to a scuffle and heated arguments between protesters and security personnel.
Police stopped the students from moving forward and dragged several protesters off the road. Subsequently, they detained several student leaders. Officers later shifted them to different police stations. Videos showing police dragging protesters into police vehicles later went viral on social media.
Lok Bhavan protest draws criticism from student organisations
The student organisations condemned the police action. They alleged that officers had illegally detained participants. According to the organisations, police intercepted students during their peaceful march from Khairatabad and shifted them to Asif Nagar Police Station.
The organisations alleged that police dragged students into vehicles during the operation. Meanwhile, they claimed several students suffered injuries during the scuffle. They also expressed solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk and students and youth across the country campaigning for democratic and educational rights.
The organisations described the police lathi charge on students and youth during the Parliament march in New Delhi as an attack on democratic rights. Further, they demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately dismiss Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. They held the Union Government responsible for the NEET paper leak and other issues affecting the education sector.
The student organisations alleged that the Centre had failed to address the crisis in the education system. In addition, they said suppressing student protests would not resolve the issues facing the sector. They demanded the unconditional release of all detained student leaders.