Chennai: Political parties and pro-Tamil outfits on
Saturday staged state-wide protests over the suicide of a 17-year-old
girl who had moved the Supreme Court against NEET- based medical
examinations.
They sought immediate withdrawal of the entrance exam.
Anitha's father before her last rites said: "Anitha managed to study in
difficult circumstances. She was concerned about NEET. What wrong had
she done, who will answer.”
The CPI(M) and its student and youth affiliates,
SFI and DYFI, staged a road blockade here over the suicide of the Dalit
girl. The party's state unit secretary G Ramakrishnan and many others
were detained, the police said.
Similarly, VCK party workers were held when they staged a road blockade at Kilpauk here.
A students' outfit tried to picket the government Multi- Super
Speciality Hospital at Omanthurar Estate on the main road and its
members were detained. The protestors raised slogans against the central
and state governments on the issue of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance
Test (NEET).
At Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district, a "wailing protest" was held
by women members of pro-Tamil 'Naam Tamizhar Katchi'. Protests were also
held at Coimbatore, Salem and Rameswaram by students' and youth outfits
who demanded justice for the girl and sought immediate withdrawal of
NEET.
Daughter of a daily wage earner, Anitha dreamed of becoming a doctor.
She was found hanging at her house in a village in Ariyalur district
yesterday. She was reportedly upset after it became known that Tamil
Nadu will not be exempted from the ambit of NEET.
The apex court had last month asked the state government to start
counselling for admissions to MBBS and BDS seats in the state based on
NEET merit list.
It had given the directive after Centre told the court that it was not
in favour of a recent ordinance passed by the state to exempt it from
NEET this year.
Political leaders including DMK Working President MK Stalin and VCK
founder Thol Thirumavalavan and actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth,
among others, had condoled Anitha's death.
The state government had announced relief of Rs 7 lakh to her family,
besides offering a government job on compassionate grounds.
Political parties and other outfits in Tamil Nadu are opposed to NEET, saying it will affect rural students.
Early this year, the state assembly had unanimously adopted two
resolutions to ensure for the continuation of medical admissions in the
state based on Class XII marks and not through an entrance exam, as
envisaged by NEET. —PTI
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