HYDERABAD: Sixteen NSUI members, who staged a protest at the Chief Minister’s camp office on Wednesday, demanding cancellation of all exams in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, were arrested by the Punjagutta police. They would be produced before court after undergoing Covid-19 tests. The police have invoked sections of 353 of the IPC (obstructing public servant from doing duty), Epidemic Diseases Act and Nuisance Act. According to the police, when NSUI members clad in PPE kits arrived at the camp office, the security staff assumed that medical staff have arrived to attend to an emergency.
Suddenly, some of the NSUI members sat on the road in front of the CM camp office and raised slogans against the government for releasing the exam schedule even as the case is pending in court. NSUI members led by B Venkat objected to the government’s move in releasing the schedule. He demanded that government reschedule exams in view of the pandemic. Soon after he spoke, one of the NSUI members climbed the iron mesh at the CM’s camp office and jumped into the road leading to the camp office entrance. Security staff and police detained all the NSUI members.
Reacting to the incident, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, MLAs D Sridhar Babu and Jagga Reddy tried to visit the NSUI activists at the police station but they were stopped. The Congress leaders got into a heated argument with police personnel and condemned the arrests of NSUI leaders.TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy termed the arrests as unconstitutional. He questioned the government for scheduling the exams while the matter was still pending in High Court.