COIMBATORE: Protests against the NEET escalated across Tamil Nadu, with various organisations demanding the examination's abolition and the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Members of Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), both pro-CPI(M) organisations, staged an agitation in Coimbatore to express solidarity with students protesting in New Delhi.
DYFI District Secretary Dinesh Raja strongly condemned the Union government and Delhi Police for cracking down on parliament-bound students and arresting activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike since June 20.
Raja demanded Wangchuk's unconditional release and strict action against the police personnel responsible for brutality against the Jantar Mantar protesters.
The student leaders criticised the Tamil Nadu police for detaining demonstrators in Chennai, Madurai, and Mayiladuthurai, questioning the absence of a designated protest venue like Jantar Mantar in the state. Citing the loss of 20 student lives nationally due to NEET, the organisations announced a 48-hour wait-in protest in Coimbatore, even as police intervened to detain the demonstrating activists.
In a related development in Chennai, CJP (Cockroach Janata Party) members continued their protest over the ongoing issue for the third consecutive day, with visuals depicting the sustained agitation.