Massive protests begin in Hyderabad after student’s suicide

A female student’s suicide over the postponement of competitive exam of the Telangana State Public Service Commission triggered a massive protest in Hyderabad’s Ashok Nagar area. M. Pravalika (23) took the drastic step at the hostel where she was staying to prepare for the Group-2 exam. The massive protest on Friday night was staged by hundreds of students, who sat on the road with her body, demanding justice. BJP MP K. Laxman and Congress leader Anil Kumar Yadav also joined the protest, which led to tension in the area in the heart of the city. They alleged that repeated cancellation and postponement of the exams by TSPSC due to question paper leak and the bungling has badly affected thousands of students. As tension mounted, several top police officials rushed to the area and tried to pacify the protesters. However, they refused to allow the body to be shifted until justice was served to the victim’s family. The Congress and BJP leaders were detained by the police. The protesters, who shouted anti-government slogans, also pelted stones on police, resulting in injuries to two policemen. At around 1.30 a.m. on Saturday, the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the protesters and shifted the body to Gandhi Hospital for autopsy. The body was later taken to her native district of Warangal. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A. Revanth Reddy termed the student’s suicide a murder by the government. He said Pravalika committed suicide due to postponement of Group-II exams. Revanth Reddy urged people to throw out a government which is incapable of conducting exams. He also appealed to them to participate in ‘sadak bandh’ protest called by Congress and other opposition parties on Saturday