Empathise with protesting students: Opposition to Tamil Nadu government
Chennai: As college and school students, including girls came out to the streets to protest against Neet throughout the state, the Opposition parties gearing up for protest demonstrations on September 13 charged the state government with trying to suppress peaceful protests of students and public.
DMK working president M.K. Stalin alleged that the government is resorting to arrest of students and threatening them instead of considering their sentiments against Neet. The students were only demanding justice for the death of Dalit student Anitha and the exemption for Tamil Nadu from Neet, he said.
Coming out with similar allegations, PMK founder S. Ramadoss pointed out that the state government too was opposing Neet and said the students and people protesting against Neet were supporting the government's stand. The state government should cooperate for the protests, but they were arresting and threatening the protesters, he said. Several anti-Neet protests had been cancelled due to the threats of police, he alleged.
As the protests spread to school campuses, girl students of Nungambakkam government schools came out in large numbers and blocked the road demanding scrapping of Neet, causing anxious moments for the police. The protests further intensified by the threats of the school headmistress not to allow them to write the quarterly examination. The young girls vociferously raised slogans against Neet and demanded justice for Anitha's death. On the same day, girls of the Perambur government school held similar protests against Neet in the evening.
College students, who gathered at the Besant Nagar beach to oppose Neet were arrested by police. The Eliot's beach too came under police security in addition to the Marina to prevent students from gathering against Neet.
The opposition parties had modified their protests after the Supreme Court order and asked the cadre to protest peacefully. VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, who had announced a protest to burn copies of Neet law, altered the protests to hunger strike on September 16.
Stalin also asked his party activists to protest as per the apex court guidelines. He said the DMK had always respected rule of law and functioned in a democratic manner. Citing the court observations that protesting in a peaceful manner is the right of each citizen, he said the agitations should not cause inconvenience to the public.
