Close to 100 members of the Revolutionary Students Youth Front (RYSF) gheraoed the Directorate of Public Instruction and disrupted traffic on College Road, Nungambakkam on Thursday morning. Police later arrested about 74 of them, including 23 women.
Police sources said the protestors, which included women and children, gheraoed the DPI campus and blocked traffic in Nungambakkam. Their demands included nationalisation of private schools and colleges, free education for all and common schooling with one syllabus, among others.
Just as they began their road roko, senior police officials intervened and attempted in vain to disperse the crowd. Traffic was disrupted for almost an hour. They were forced to ask the protestors to enter the DPI campus. But the protestors refused and the police had to drag them to their van.
“They did not have permission to stage a protest. We warned them to leave but they refused to budge. I even arranged for a meeting with the DPI director but the protestors refused to meet him. What more can we do?” a police official said. However, protestors alleged that instead of holding talks with them, police dragged some of the agitators and beat them up. “Ten of them, including four women were admitted to Kilpauk Medical Hospital,” a RSYF member said.