Protests in Seemandhra, politicos see golden opportunity

As expected, the government’s decision to postpone the tests for the recruitment of SIs indefinitely has been met with anger and frustration by students from Seemandhra Region.

Even as educational institutions in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions were closed on Saturday following the bandh call, political leaders have started to see the possibilities of good press and increase in voter base, by taking sides with the Seemandhra students.

Anantapur MLA Raghunath Reddy joined students of Sri Krishnadevaraya University when they took to staging protests over the government’s decision.

Mr Reddy drove down to the University campus and expressed solidarity with the students. He also agreed with the students when they stated that the decision was ‘not right’, and stated that the indefinite postponement of the tests will adversely affect the recruitment prospects of many aspirants who would cross the age-limits when the tests are held next.

The students also said that the government had buckled down to some ‘vested interests’ who had raked up the issue for getting political mileage.

The protesting students managed to stop a passenger train bound for Tirupati by squatting or lying down on railway tracks.

In Tirupati itself, some students resorted to painting their bodies in a myriad of colours and roaming on the streets, as part of their attempt to bring attention of the government to their demands of holding the tests on schedule announced earlier.

It is unclear if they indeed got the attention of those safely ensconced in the Secretariat, but they did get the attention of the police who kept an eagle eye on them, lest they resort to violence.

Those who crossed the line in their protests were promptly shifted to the various police stations.

In Visakhapatnam, Andhra University students started a hunger strike in front of Registrar’s office, in protest against the government’s decision. They demanded that government should take necessary steps and hold the tests on the earlier scheduled dates.

The protesting students further warned that if the government fails to conduct exams on scheduled dates, they will not hesitate to intensify their agitations.

The protesting students warned that they will lay siege to the residences of Ministers and Legislators, apart from resorting to hunger strike in Universities all over Seemandhra Regions.

Meanwhile, the police arrested 10 students in Visakhapatnam for trying to force shopkeepers to down their shutters at Jagabamda Junction, as part of the bandh call. JAC leader Kishore was also among these ten arrested.

Apart from trying to convince business establishment to observe the bandh, many activists belonging to various educational institutes also staged ‘Rasta Roko’ and ‘Rail roko’.

Meanwhile, students of Sri Venkateshwara University also staged dharnas in front of the Administrative Building, while Dravida University students boycotted their classes and agitated in Kuppam.

In Guntur, all the educational institutions remained closed, to lend support to the Samaikyandhra JAC’s bandh call. The JAC was further bolstered by the support of Telugu Vidyarthi and Telugu Yuvatha.

The students protests were also witnessed in many other places like Ongole, Chirala, Kandukur, Markapuram including Nagarjuna University. The protestors argued that if the government was so weak to be blackmailed into submission by a few individuals, then the future of the state was indeed under threat. They pointed out that all other recruitment drives will henceforth be under threat by these individuals.

Reports of students protests also came in from Benji circle in Vijayawada where the students gave shoe-shines and cleaned RTC buses.

Rajahmundry, Kadapa, Kurnool and Nellore also witnessed protests.