Protests erupt in Tamil Nadu over NEET petitioner S Anitha's suicide, police detain 300 CPM workers

Wide-range protests erupted across Tamil Nadu a day after the suicide of Dalit student S Anitha, who fought against National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), a common entrance exam for medical colleges in Supreme Court.

Around 1,500 protesters thronged the city of Chennai and shouted slogans against the E Palaniswami government in the state and the BJP at the centre. The protesters alleged the both state and centre government have failed to get an exemption from NEET for admissions in medical colleges.

The police have detained as much as 300 CPM workers for trying to block Chennai's busy Anna Salai road.

Chennai: Protest by Revolutionary Students and Youth Front (RSYF) members over the death #Anithaa; Protesters detained by Police. pic.twitter.com/JKwA3vtrmn

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2017

Medical aspirant S Anitha commited suicide on Friday after her dream to become a doctor shattered as she could not get admission into a medical college. Anitha, a school topper had scored 1,176 marks out of 1,200 in her board exam but failed to perform well in the NEET.

Anitha was a Dalit and belonged to a very poor family of Tamil nadu's Ariyalur district. Her father is a daily wage labourer. After her death, shops in Ariyalur were shut on Saturday in protest.

Last Year, the Supreme Court had ordered that admissions in all the medical colleges across India will be decided through one common entrance exam NEET.

The students of Tamil Nadu protested the decision and requested the court to exempt the state from NEET as it was allegedly more suitable for CBSC schools.

However, the SC last year exempted Tamil Nadu from the NEET but refused to continue the exemption this year.