Hyderabad, July 24 — Majority of educational institutions remained closed in Telangana on Friday in response to a bandh call given by Left-affiliated student groups to show solidarity with students and youths protesting in New Delhi over the NEET paper leak.
Managements of many private schools and colleges in Hyderabad and surrounding districts declared holiday as a precautionary measure in view of the shutdown call.
A few schools and colleges, however, remained opened.
Osmania University postponed all examinations scheduled to be held on Friday.
A joint forum of student organisations called for a statewide bandh of educational institutions to protest against "police brutalities" on students protesting in the national Capital and to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET exam paper leaks and other alleged irregularities in the conduct of the examination.
Telangana state units of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Federation (AISF), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU), All India Forum for Democratic Students (AIFDS), All India Students Bloc (AISB), and All India Progressive Students Union (AIPSU) called for the shutdown of educational institutions.
As part of the bandh, the student groups held a rally from Narayanaguda to Y Junction in Hyderabad.
They demanded resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, strict action against those involved in the NEET paper leak and greater transparency in the examination system.
Meanwhile, hundreds of students and youth gathered at Indira Park in Hyderabad to participate in the protest called by student wing of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to show solidarity with students and youth protesting in New Delhi over NEET exam paper leak, demanding accountability from the Central government.
BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao joined the protest. The former minister earlier posted on ‘X’ that the voice of India’s youth cannot be crushed through force.
He appealed to students, youth and everyone who believes in democracy to join in standing up for the constitutional right to dissent.