How Anitha's suicide over NEET has turned into a political war in Tamil Nadu

The suicide of 17-year-old medical student Anitha after she failed to get admission since the government failed to ensure that NEET (National Eligibility and Entrance Test) was not implemented has got the student community holding large-scale protests and accusing the state government and the Centre of driving her to take the extreme step.

Anitha, who hailed from Ariyallur, a place 250 km from Chennai, had committed suicide demoralised that her dream of becoming a doctor would never be fulfilled. This despite the fact that Anitha was a Plus-2 topper and had managed to score 1176 marks out of 1200.

While the state government had earlier assured that NEET won't be included in the placement and that it would ensure the unified entrance system based on 12th score followed, the AIADMK government at the last minute failed to ensure this, thus denying Anitha a chance of getting a medical seat.

As students assembled around Jayalalithaa's memorial and started meditating, the police guards on duty initially felt they were paying their tribute to Amma. But the cops soon realised that this was these students' way of drawing greater attention to protests going on since Saturday demanding justice for Anitha.

STUDENTS' OUTRAGE GROWING WITH EACH PASSING DAY

Ever since her death, there have been widespread protests across the state and the student community's outrage with each passing day has only grown. Protests have been taking place in Trichy, Tanjore, Coimbatore, Salem and Madurai among other districts.

Kala, a student protester at the Marina Beach, said, "She was a bright student and when Amma was in power, she had ensured that the NEET system was not in place in the state. But this government is incapable of fulfilling its promise."

Jayalalithaa had in 2016 insisted that the state won't agree on an eligibility test for medical seats and an exemption was given to Tamil Nadu for 2016 based on the late chief minister's demand.

Another protester cried, "When they are asking for a common eligibility exam, are they providing a common education system? First give common education to the country and then talk about the entrance exam".

Blaming the Centre and the state government and raising slogans against them for Anitha's death, the protestors demanded an exemption from NEET.

As the protest at the Marina Beach intensified, police officials were forced to evict students out of the Jaya Memorial. "Why can't we protest here? Are only OPS and EPS allowed here to protest? Aren't we citizens of this soil?", cried the students as they were dragged out of the memorial venue. As this was happening at the Marina Beach, some 15 km away Guindy, an arterial road in Chennai was witness to a fresh protest. Students assembled at Guindy went on a road roko (blocked the road) for more than 45 minutes.

Traffic came to a standstill as police officials tried to clear the place of protesters.

NEET is no longer just an educational issue, but has taken a political colour now with the student community's Justice for Anita's campaign now seeking serious answers from the ruling governments.

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