Activists and celebrities came together in solidarity with the ongoing student protests in New Delhi, triggered by the NEET question paper leak, as a series of demonstrations were held in Kochi on Wednesday. Protest meetings were organised at Maharaja’s College, Panampilly Nagar and Kacheripady by different groups in solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party-led agitation in Delhi.Addressing a protest meeting at Maharaja’s College, organised by the college union under the banner “In Solidarity with the Youth of the Nation,” writer N.S. Madhavan said he was deeply concerned over the alleged involvement of masked civilians supporting the Central government in assaulting student protesters in Delhi.
Students and activists gather at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, in solidarity with the student protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
| Photo Credit:
R.K. Nithin
“It reminded me of how the Brownshirts, who wanted Hitler to remain in power, joined the police in assaulting protesters on the streets of Germany around 100 years ago. Going by the lessons of history, the scenes from Delhi do not bode well for the country,” Mr. Madhavan said.He, however, expressed hope that the government would not be able to suppress the protests.Actor-filmmaker Joju George likened the situation in Delhi to the Emergency.“I consider the leak, or the collapse of a country’s education system, to be a form of slow poisoning. The students who protested against it are being beaten, and opposition leaders are being dragged away,” he said.Calling for wider support for the agitation, filmmaker Ashique Abu said the children who were beaten on the streets are the ones who give the country hope. He announced that the student community would organise a march from the college to the BSNL office in Kochi on Thursday.
