Hyderabad: Protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and the police action against demonstrators at Jantar Mantar intensified in Telangana on Friday, July 24, with student groups observing a statewide education bandh, five students at Satavahana University continuing an indefinite hunger strike, and the Telangana Youth Congress condemning the alleged crackdown on protesters.
Five students of Satavahana University in Karimnagar began an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, July 23, demanding legal action against Delhi Police, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other officials over the alleged use of force against NEET protesters at Jantar Mantar. They also sought compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak controversy and called for reforms to the medical entrance examination system.
The students demanded either the abolition of NEET in favour of state-level entrance examinations or greater autonomy for the National Testing Agency (NTA), modelled on independent institutions such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
According to the TOI, Akash Kolluru, national media spokesperson of Kalvakuntla Kavitha-led Telangana Raksha Sena (TRS), said the protest was aimed at securing structural reforms to the examination system.
“The indefinite hunger strike began at 11 am and will continue until our demands are addressed,” Kolluru was quoted as saying by TOI.
He further told TOI that if state-level entrance examinations were not feasible, the NTA should be made completely independent to improve accountability and prevent interference.
The report also quoted one of the student leaders, C. Chaitanya, as demanding legal action against those responsible for the alleged police excesses in Delhi and reiterating the call for assistance to families affected by the NEET controversy.
Meanwhile, Telangana Youth Congress State General Secretary Almas Khan condemned the alleged police action against students protesting at Jantar Mantar, accusing the Union government of responding to demands for accountability with force.
In a statement, Khan alleged that students seeking justice and opposition leaders supporting them had been met with detention and repression. He also claimed that he was assaulted and detained outside the BJP office in Hyderabad while participating in a peaceful protest.
“Students may be silenced temporarily, but their questions cannot be detained. The louder the state tries to suppress the voice of the youth, the louder #ChhatronKiGoonj will become,” Khan said.
He warned that the Youth Congress would continue protesting against what it described as the suppression of student voices and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The developments come as Left-backed student unions observed a bandh across educational institutions in Telangana over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG and the paper leak controversy. The shutdown affected institutions from the Intermediate level to universities, while Osmania University postponed all examinations scheduled for Friday in view of the bandh.
The Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) also announced separate protests in Hyderabad over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, adding to the growing political and student mobilisation around the issue.
