ABVP strike total; school forced to declare holiday

KOCHI: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which had called for a state-wide strike in educational institutions on Tuesday, stopped buses of three colleges and forced the students to return home. They also forcibly closed a private school in Thrikkakara. However, no police complaint was registered. They were protesting against the alleged corruption in sanctioning Plus Two courses and demanded the removal of education minister Abdu Rabb.
"We stopped the buses of Al-Ameen College in Edathala, IES Engineering College and two buses of Cochin University of Science and Technology. No one was harmed as we explained to the bus driver ? in a peaceful manner? that we had called for a strike. We asked the students to return home and they agreed," said ABVP district organising secretary Ajith V R.
ABVP activists also forcibly closed down Cardinal Higher Secondary School at Thrikkakara. Ajith claimed that the strike was total in Ernakulam. Majority of schools, colleges and private educational institutions remained closed in Kochi. Many private schools had sent messages to parents informing them that they will remain closed on Tuesday, while some children learnt the same on reaching schools.
Meanwhile, in government and aided schools, most of the children from class I to X didn't turn up after the directorate of public instructions cancelled the Onam exam scheduled on Tuesday. However, some of the schools conducted Plus Two classes. "There were no classes for students up to Class X. But Plus Two pupils participated in Onam celebrations," said the head mistress of an aided school in the city.