‘Scrap NEET’ chorus grows louder

The increase in the intensity of protest against NEET marked Tuesday with students from more colleges including Madras Medical College (MMC) joining the agitation against the national level eligibility test following the suicide of Ariyalar girl Anitha on September 1.

A day after students of government and private colleges on the outskirts staged a protest and a rail roko on Monday, their counterparts in the city colleges followed suit. More than 500 students of Loyola College gathered in front of the main gate on Sterling Road holding placards seeking withdrawal of NEET. 

“Our intention was not to gain any popularity out of the protest. So, we didn’t want celebrities to be present. They too understood our stand and obliged to our request,” said Santhosh, a student and one of the protesters. 

Though the college management had denied permission to hold the protest, a few faculty members were in support of them and even distributed water and snacks to students. “Police had given us permission only up to 11.30 am, but we extended it till 1.30 pm, after which the entire area was barricaded. Our protest will continue tomorrow as well,” said Santhosh. He also said that students from each college come on their own and there was no internal communication whatsoever. 

Following the protest by students of Nandanam Government Arts College, the college was shut for students. Students of Presidency College and Pachaiyappa’s College raised slogans against NEET and sought justice to Anitha in front of their respective campuses. Meanwhile, Madras Medical College students too joined the protest. 

Members of Students of Federation of India, who staged a road roko on Mount Road, were arrested and let off in the evening. Representatives of AISF and AIYF tried to block the trains at Central Railway station and were detained. 

However, in a bid to prove his strength in the back drop of the AIADMK Legislature Party meet and the district secretaries meeting which took place on Tuesday, Dinakaran has announced a demonstration against NEET in front of the Chennai collectorate on first line beach on September 9, a day after a DMK sponsored opposition rally in Trichy. 

Dinakaran has called on party cadres to come in strength to participate in the protest. It may be recalled that he had also, in a first, visited Kuzhumur in Ariyalur district to condole the death of plus two finisher Anitha recently.

The students and youth forum called upon the state to install a statue of Anitha in sands of Marina in acknowledgement of her sacrifice to uphold social justice. Tamil Nadu Students and Youth Federation coordinator ‘Loyola’ Mani and other functionaries petitioned the Chief Minister’s Special Cell at the Secretariat to this effect. “She deserves a place on the Marina. She took on the Centre in the Supreme Court. She strived believing in the judicial system which ruled against her shattering the dreams of many like her.”

“Her fight to ensure social justice for the poor and marginalised aspiring medical admission is selfless. We have given an ultimatum of 7 days for the State to take a policy decision in this regard. We will install her statue otherwise,” Mani said.