After backlash, Vijay govt withdraws order barring students from Left, CJP protests

Amid a growing row over students being drawn into political protests, the Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday withdrew a controversial order that sought to prevent students from taking part in agitations organised by Left parties and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The order, issued to the School Education and Higher Education departments on August 14, had drawn sharp criticism from the CJP, which called it “unconstitutional”, “illogical” and “irrational”. Under the directive, the government had sought coordinated action to stop students and youth from participating in protests led by the Left parties and the CJP.

The order and its withdrawal

According to the communication, authorities were asked to take coordinated steps to ensure that school and college students, as well as youth, did not join protests and agitations organised by the two political groups. The directive was later withdrawn on Wednesday.

A letter dated August 17 from the Commissioner of Collegiate Education asked principals of government arts and science colleges to work with the School Education and Higher Education departments, the police and the district administration to ensure that male and female students, along with youth, did not participate in such protests. The communication referred to a government letter dated August 14 and called for inter-departmental coordination and joint action.

Marked “Most Urgent”, the communication also asked colleges to immediately submit details of the action taken to the Directorate of Collegiate Education. According to sources, the government had asked the School Education Department, Higher Education Department, police and district administrations to act together to prevent student participation.

Political reactions

The directive drew strong criticism from the CJP, which accused the government of overreach and said the move was unconstitutional as well as illogical and irrational.

The BJP, however, backed the order. BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam described the Leftist outfits and the CJP as “Agents of Chaos” and alleged that their leaders mislead students and leave them to face the consequences. He said the move would help students stay away from protests and focus on their careers, and urged the government not to withdraw the notification under pressure from its ally, the CPI(M).

Another BJP leader, Radhika Khera, called the directive a “diktat” to colleges, police and district administration to stop students and youth from joining CJP and Leftist rallies. Referring to the Congress’ protests over student participation at Delhi University, she questioned where Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders were after the Tamil Nadu government’s order.

Jantar Mantar protest

The order came amid heightened political activity and followed the government’s concern over student and youth participation in protests organised by the two groups. It also came a week after student demonstrations over alleged NEET and other examination paper leaks.

In Delhi, the protests included a hunger strike and a march towards Parliament organised by the Cockroach Janata Party. On July 20, thousands of students joined the march and demanded, among other things, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and changes to the examination system.

The situation escalated when protesters tried to move past police barricades in central Delhi. Police used tear gas and lathis to disperse the crowd. Footage later surfaced on social media showing police personnel allegedly manhandling some protesters, leading to accusations of excessive force.

Delhi Police defended the operation, saying force was used after some protesters allegedly turned violent and pelted security personnel with stones. The protest ended after Pradhan resigned and the government assured protesters that it would provide compensation to the families of students who died by suicide, withdraw cases against protesters and consider demands for examination reforms.