NEW DELHI: A protest march by the National Students’ Union of India against the national education policy and alleged anti-student steps of the Centre was foiled by police on Tuesday.
The protesters damaged a DTC bus at Jantar Mantar.
The activists of the Congress party’s student outfit, who had come from various parts of the country, marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar, where they held a ‘Chatra Adhikar’ rally before marching towards Parliament House. They were soon stopped by police near Jai Singh Road.
Some of the protesters sat on the road and tried to block it, but the police and paramilitary personnel chased them away.
The NSUI claimed four of its members were injured as police used force to disperse them.“Several of our members were beaten by the police. Scores of us are detained at Parliament Street and Mandir Marg police stations,” said Akshay Lakra, president of the Delhi unit of NSUI.But a Delhi police officer said no force was used to disperse the protesters.
“Around 35 of them were detained at Parliament Street police station as they headed towards Parliament and tried to block the road when stopped by the police,” he said.Window panes of a DTC bus on Parliament Street were smashed by some protesters, he added.
The NSUI leaders, addressing the gathering, criticised the National Democratic Alliance government on issues like fee hikes, saffronisation of campuses, privatisation of education and unemployment.
Congress leader Deepender Hooda said poor students were being deprived of higher education opportunities due to fee hikes and privatisation of education by the government.“Due to the wrong policies of the Modi government, the employment opportunities before the students and youth are shrinking,” he said.