Hyderabad: Ahead of the July 20 Sansad Chalo call, close to 500 students, parents, educators, influencers and citizens swamped Hyderabad’s Dharna Chowk at Indira Park on Sunday to stand in solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk and express their support for CJP’s fight for educational reforms. The protesters called for equitable access to quality education, held placards, raised slogans and urged policymakers to implement a common school system that ensures equal opportunities for all children. They also condemned the unceremonious removal of Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar on July 18.
“I was feeling helpless and kept asking myself if there was anything we, as citizens of Hyderabad, could do. Someone like Sonam Wangchuk didn’t have to take a stand, yet he chose to do so for students. That made us feel we had to do something too.”- Vaishnavi Mekala, 26
Among those attending was Sofi Shaik, who came in memory of her 19-year-old cousin, who allegedly died by suicide after being distressed by the uncertainty surrounding the NEET examination. According to the family, she left behind a two-page note referring to the anxiety caused by the alleged paper leak and the possibility of a re-examination. “We are not seeking compensation or special concessions. We only want justice and stronger safeguards so that no student has to suffer because of failures in the examination system,” Sofi said.What started as a conversation on social media culminated into a protest to demand accountability in the education system. “We didn’t want to affiliate with any political party or umbrella organisation. We wanted to show that even the common man has an agitation towards what’s happening,” said Sai Bhargava Reddy Shada, a 28-year-old IT professional and one of the organisers.
People in positions of power should be held accountable. Just like any employee can lose their job for poor performance, politicians should also be sacked when they fail. – Raviesha Pradeep, 28
“Interest grew, and the WhatsApp group reached its capacity of 1,024 members within a couple of days before communication shifted to an Instagram broadcast channel,” said Raviesha Pradeep, who helped with the police permission. “I wanted this to spread like wildfire. If we couldn’t go to Delhi, Hyderabad’s voice should at least be heard there,” Raviesha added.The venue was dotted with placards reading “Plz resign Modi ji”, “Dharmendra Pradhan must resign” and “We studied for success, not for scandals”, while speakers demanded accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA).Members of the Disha Students’ Organization and Naujawan Bharat Sabha were also present, distributing pamphlets that demanded the immediate release of Sonam Wangchuk, the scrapping of the National Testing Agency, and an end to the privatisation of education.Members of the Disha Students’ Organization and Naujawan Bharat Sabha were also present, distributing pamphlets that demanded the immediate release of Sonam Wangchuk, the scrapping of the National Testing Agency, and an end to the privatisation of education.
“When students are forced onto the streets to demand basic educational rights, it reflects a failure of governance. The government must ensure it never comes to that.”- K Sareen Raj, 47
