The Hindu : Student protests spread

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 05, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Student protests spread

By Our Tamil Nadu Bureau

The Education Minister, M. Thambi Durai, talking to Melur Government College students in hospital on Wednesday. They were injured in yesterday's lathicharge — Photo: K. Ganesan

CHENNAI Sept. 4. As protests by students of government colleges threatened to snowball into a major confrontation with the Government, the Education Minister, M. Thambi Durai today rushed to Melur, near Madurai, to placate students who were lathicharged on Tuesday.

Stung by two such incidents in Madurai, the Minister sought the help of teachers in preventing the agitation from turning violent again. After visiting the injured students at the Melur Government Hospital, he assured the students that he would take up the "high-handedness of the police" with the Chief Minister.

Speaking to mediapersons, Mr. Thambi Durai said the Chief Minister's assurance that college fees would not be hiked and that reservation and other benefits would be protected, after the government colleges were converted into constituents of the universities, had not reached the students. "Only this communication gap had led to confusion". Asked whether the Government would reconsider the move on converting colleges, he said, "That is not the issue now... the fear in the minds of students has to be removed."

Earlier, the students, admitted to the Melur hospital, complained to the Minister that the police threatened them asking them to get discharged on their own or face cases. A visually-impaired student said he was beaten up inside the classroom. The students threatened to intensify their agitation if action was not taken against the police personnel.

Meanwhile, protests continued elsewhere. In Chennai, a demonstration by Nandanam Arts College students turned violent. The students, prevented from blocking the arterial Anna Salai, clashed with the riot police. Three students were injured. Reports of student demonstrations came from Dharmapuri, Madurai, Sivaganga and Tiruchi. But the Minister said there were protests only in two Madurai colleges, while the other 65 government colleges remained peaceful.

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