Ballari: Students protest police action against Sonam Wangchuk, demand abolition of National Testing Agency
Members of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) staged a protest near OPD Circle in Ballari on Saturday (July 18), condemning the alleged forced
Members of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) staged a protest near OPD Circle in Ballari on Saturday (July 18), condemning the alleged forced removal of educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk and other fasting protesters by the Delhi police. The demonstrators also demanded that the Union government immediately initiate democratic talks with the protesters. AIDSO district president K. Eranna alleged that repeated irregularities in examinations conducted by the Testing Agency (NTA), including NEET-UG, had jeopardised the future of lakhs of students across the country.
Referring to the nation-wide protests seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, he said the ongoing hunger strike led by Sonam Wangchuk had entered its 20th day and that the government’s failure to engage in dialogue reflected an anti-democratic attitude. He criticised the police action in removing Mr. Wangchuk and other fasting protesters without holding discussions, and termed it undemocratic and authoritarian. AIDSO district secretary Kambali Manjunath said it was the duty of a democratic government to listen to the grievances of the people instead of resorting to repression.
The forced removal of Mr. Wangchuk from the protest site, he said, amounted to a betrayal of democratic values and reflected an inhumane approach towards citizens exercising their democratic rights. He urged students and the public to strengthen the ongoing movement and called upon the government to
stop suppressing dissenting voices and immediately begin discussions with Mr. Wangchuk and the other protesters. The protesters demanded that the Centre hold immediate democratic talks with Mr. Wangchuk and the fasting protesters, that the Union Education Minister resign over alleged examination irregularities, and that NTA be abolished.
The BriefWire