Kochi Rallies in Solidarity with Delhi Student Protesters Over NEET Paper Leak
Activists, writers, and film personalities in Kochi held a series of protests on Wednesday in solidarity with the ongoing student demonstrations in New Delhi over the NEET question paper leak. The gatherings, organised by various groups, took place at Maharaja’s College, Panampilly Nagar, and Kacheripady, among other locations.
At Maharaja’s College, a protest meeting titled “In Solidarity with the Youth of the Nation” was organised by the college union. Writer N.S. Madhavan expressed concern over reports of masked civilians allegedly supporting the Central government assaulting student protesters in Delhi. Drawing a historical parallel, he said, “It reminded me of how the Brownshirts, who wanted Hitler to remain in power, joined the police in assaulting protesters on the streets of Germany around 100 years ago.” He added that such scenes did not bode well for the country but expressed hope that the government would not be able to suppress the protests.
Actor-filmmaker Joju George compared the situation in Delhi to the Emergency period. “I consider the leak, or the collapse of a country’s education system, to be a form of slow poisoning. The students who protested against it are being beaten, and opposition leaders are being dragged away,” he said.
Filmmaker Ashique Abu called for wider support, stating that the children beaten on the streets are the ones who give the country hope. He announced a march from the college to the BSNL office in Kochi on Thursday.
Lawyer Harish Vasudevan criticised what he described as the judiciary’s reluctance to intervene against alleged police excesses against student protesters. TV anchor Ranjini Haridas, who recently attended the CJP protest in Delhi, recounted her experience: “Going by what I saw, I seriously doubted whether we are still a democracy.”
Other notable attendees included writer K.R. Meera, CPI(M) Ernakulam district secretary S. Sathish, filmmakers Mahesh Narayanan, Manu Ashok and Seenu Sohanlal, LGBTQI activist Sheetal Shyam, actors Gowri Kishan and Jolly Chirayathu, and singer Resmi Sateesh.
Rapper Vedan addressed a solidarity meeting at Panampilly Nagar. Activists K.P. Sankaran and Sreemoolanagaram Mohan staged a satyagraha at Gandhi Square, Kacheripady, as the State committee of the Indian Socialist@100 collective organised another meeting. The ASTRA Students’ Union of Government Medical College, Ernakulam, also held a solidarity protest, emphasising that students’ concerns should be addressed through dialogue, transparency and accountability.
A public meeting at Gandhi Square in Poonithura condemned the police action against the student protests in Delhi. Kochi Corporation Councillor V.P. Chandran chaired the meeting, which was addressed by student activist Athul Krishna.
Late on Tuesday night, around 100 people, mostly youngsters, gathered at Queen’s Walkway in Kochi for a candlelight vigil, following a call on the Instagram handle Azadi Kerala. Participants, clad in black, raised slogans and held placards with anti-government messages. Political leaders were absent from the protest. One placard read: “You messed with the wrong generation.”
