NEET protests: Congress to participate in DMK-backed agitation in Puducherry

Puducherry: Ruling Congress on Monday announced it would participate in the 13 September stir organised in Puducherry by its ally DMK to condemn ‘imposition’ of NEET on the selection of students to medical courses. [caption id=“attachment_3813963” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] PCC President and PWD Minister A Namassivayam said in a release here that the NEET based examination was ’totally injurious’ to students from poor and rural areas to compete in the examination and become doctors. Namassivayam urged workers and functionaries of different wings of Congress to participate in the agitation to condemn NEET based selection of students. On 8 September, the Supreme Court had directed the Tamil Nadu government to prevent any agitation over the NEET exam issue in the state, where protests have intensified after the suicide of a Dalit medical aspirant. The court also directed the government to prosecute under appropriate law anyone indulging in any activity that creates law and order problem and stalls normal life in the state. The Apex Court had said that every citizen of the country has a fundamental right to peacefully protest and demonstrate but they cannot cause a situation that results in violence and paralyses the law and order situation. Medical aspirant Anitha had committed suicide on 1 September, a week after the top court had ruled that medical college admissions in Tamil Nadu will be based on the national admission test. Her suicide has led to widespread protests in Tamil Nadu with many protestors being detained.