Anitha's suicide: Students plan string of protests

Chennai: The silence in city colleges for the last three days due to continuous holidays is expected to be broken with a string of protests against Neet following Ariyalur student Anitha's death when educational institutions reopen on Tuesday.

To condemn the death, students from various parts of the state boycotted their classes and held various protests on Monday.

“The state and Central governments are responsible for Anitha's death. Demanding permanent exemption from Neet, student organizations will conduct rail and road blockades in the city besides boycotting classes,” said P. Uchimakali, one of the conveners of Federation of Student Organisations - Tamil Nadu and state secretary, SFI.

“Students have conducted protests around 70 places in all over the state on Monday. Students from Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur and Kanyakumari districts will join the protests on Tuesday,” he said.

Students from private colleges and engineering colleges also have expressed their solidarity with the protest this time. The protests are expected to last at least for a week.

“We have received information that students will indulge in the strike at our college on Tuesday. Our faculty members are instructed to assemble in full strength and also expect deployment of police force at the college,” said S. Kaliraj, principal, Pachaiyappa's College.

Presidency College authorities said they also expect boycott of classes and demonstrations by students.

Some students in the University of Madras tried to enter the Marina campus on Monday to conduct the protests. “Only a few students are holding protests at our campus regularly,” an official from the university said.

Many colleges have scheduled Teacher's Day celebrations on Tuesday. “With the call for demonstrations and protests the celebrations are now doubtful,” a professor said.