Five days after the death of Anitha, a dalit medical aspirant from Ariyalur, who had gone to the Supreme Court demanding exemption for Tamil Nadu students from the National Eligibility and Entrance Test, protests across the state have intensified.
Students holding placards and shouting slogans like 'Justice for Anitha' and 'Ban NEET' protested at the memorial of former chief minister Jayalalithaa at the Marina beach in Chennai.
“During her election campaign at Palayamkottai last year, Madam Jayalalithaa had promised that students like us would not be put to stress in the name of NEET and that NEET would not come to Tamil Nadu. But now the ministers from her own party have got us NEET and thereby killed Anitha,” said Manohar Rajan, a protesting student.
Hundreds of students, belonging to the SFI, boycotted their classes and gathered at Marina on Wednesday afternoon. They began meditating in front of her grave demanding a ban on NEET.
“When EPS (Chief Minister Edappady Palaniswami) and OPS (Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam) can sit in meditation here, why can’t we meditate? This is a public place. The police are not allowing us to meditate here,” said one of the girl students. The protesting students were forcibly evicted by police from the memorial. Minutes later, the beach-side grave of Jayalalithaa, which witnessed Panneerselvam’s rebellion, V.K. Sasikala’s three-time vow and the coming together of EPS and OPS factions, was closed for public entry.
Meanwhile, a few kilometers away from the memorial, the students at New College launched an indefinite sit in protest demanding a ban on NEET. At Loyola College, while the gates were closed, the students boycotted their classes to take part in protests. The students raised slogans against NEET and condemned the state and central governments for Anitha’s death.
“Everyone is responsible for Anitha’s death including the state and Central governments. The politicians can’t just escape. They will definitely feel the pinch when there is an election,” said Radhika Vijayan, a first year student.
The state has been witnessing massive protests by students unions and youth outfits ever since Anitha allegedly committed suicide on last Friday. Her death came a week after the Supreme Court refused to give exemption to Tamil Nadu from NEET.
