Nine Years After Anitha, ‘OG Tamizha’ Keeps the Fight Against NEET Alive

Chennai: The time was around 5 pm. A banner with Anitha's photo was fluttering in the monsoon wind. Kayal was going into the protest site. The gate was wrapped with Anitha's banner. The banner called for a protest demanding a ban on NEET and announced that a sit-in protest taking place happening inside was on its 39th day.

Inside, Perarasan was sitting alone reading a book. A speaker sat calmly nearby. The protest that supposedly was to start by 3 pm hadn't seen more than three people at 5 pm.

Paari, a coordinator of the OG Tamizha student outfit, welcomed his colleague Kayal and said, “Usually students start coming in from 5 pm. We’re flexible with timing. We do not worry about the numbers. Persistence matters. We are trying to inculcate persistence among the students.”

Tamil Nadu has always had curious ways of embedding itself into national politics. As the youth protests that began at Jantar Mantar spread across the country, Tamil Nadu raised a unique slogan: ‘We Don’t Want Fair NEET. We Want ‘Ban NEET’’! And this tweak made the movement started by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) take a different turn in Tamil Nadu. The slogan made the state’s fight distinct from the CJP's protest.

When OG Tamizha asked for permission to hold a sit-in protest on July 24, the Tamil Nadu police wanted them to stage the protest just for a day, they said. But that was not enough for OG Tamizha.

A banner with an illustration of Anitha at the entrance of OG Tamizha's protest site in Chennai. Photo: Govindaraj.

When Anitha, a 17-year-old Dalit student from Kuzhumur village in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district, died by suicide in 2017 because of NEET, students and politicians in the state saw the incident as an institutional murder by the hegemonical classes, castes and languages. Incidentally, 2017 was the first year NEET was implemented in Tamil Nadu, and Anitha's suicide that year marked the country's first one due to the exam.

Anitha had high hopes of becoming a doctor. In an interview available online, she said "I want to work for society as a doctor". In her class 12 board exams – which until 2017 would have formed the basis for a medical college admission – she scored an average of 196.75 out of 200 across physics, chemistry and biology. But NEET was introduced that year, due to which she had to clear the exam to get an MBBS seat.

NEET is predominantly centred on the CBSE syllabus. Anitha has studied in the state board syllabus. She could not clear NEET. She even went to the Supreme Court with her ordeal. But her plea was rejected.

Anitha died by suicide on September 1, 2017.

Nine years later, OG Tamizha staged a sit-in protest for 40 days demanding the same thing Anitha did: that NEET be scrapped.

OG Tamizha is a new student outfit started by Perarasan, who is a student himself. "During an anti-Hindi imposition protest in March, Siva Dileepan, a protester, jumped in front of the train shouting 'Long Live Tamil' and became a martyr. I witnessed that incident. Its impact pushed me to start a student outfit to fight for the rights of Tamil students," said Perarasan.

Hand-written placards on display at OG Tamizha's sit-in protest. Photo: Govindaraj.

After the Delhi police's violent crackdown on protesters marching to parliament on July 20, students all over the country staged protests in solidarity, including in Tamil Nadu. One such protest took place at Balan Illam, the Communist Party of India's office in Chennai.

"Though there were a lot of people joining at Balan Illam, the protest didn't seem to voice out the Tamils' long-pending demand to ban NEET. So I put up a call on Instagram for a sit-in protest," Perarasan said.

Since public places like Marina have been closed for political events by the Tamil Nadu police, the state does not have a common place like Jantar Mantar for people to stage a protest. After multiple attempts, OG Tamizha finally was able to find a place in the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)’s office, Thayagam Campus. Thayagam means mother’s house in Tamil. Vaiko, the MDMK's leader, has reportedly said that Thayagam is always open to students' protests.

“Vaiko is our most beloved leader in Tamil Nadu as he has fought for numerous Tamil Nadu issues and a long-time supporter of Eelam,” said Perarasan, referring to the name proposed by Tamils of northeastern Sri Lanka of an independent country based on their self-determination rights. OG Tamizha started its sit-in protest on July 25, a day before the CJP ended its protest at Jantar Mantar.

Srilalitha of OG Tamizha speaks about NEET at the outfit's sit-in protest. Photo: Govindaraj.

Though OG Tamizha called for a continuous sit-in protest, its agitation is not continuous per se. “We don’t want our studies to be disturbed. After all, we protest for our education rights. So we called students to participate after their college hours everyday. The protest timing is set from 3 pm to 9 pm so that it can be flexible for students and people to attend,” said Marimuthu, one of OG Tamizha's coordinators.

Maniratnam, Anitha’s elder brother, came for the protest to support OG Tamizha. He too had plans to initiate a hunger strike in which his comrades would fast, for which the police were not ready to give a place. Soon after, on August 1, when Maniratnam initiated a hunger strike protest at the Tamilaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi’s office seeking that the state assembly pass a resolution against NEET, OG Tamizha members sat there for a day in solidarity with him.

Two ministers of the Tamil Nadu government, K.G. Arunraj and Rajmohan Arumugam, visited the protest. The Tamil Nadu assembly ultimately passed a resolution against NEET on August 11, after which the hunger-strikers ended their fast. But OG Tamizha continued to seek that Tamil Nadu be exempt from NEET altogether.

“Previous governments too passed resolutions against NEET. But the Union government shows just indifference. Even the previous DMK [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] government’s NEET Exemption Bill is pending at the president's table. We do welcome that Maniratnam’s protest to ban NEET has got a nod from the TVK [Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam] government. But still we need an exemption,” said Arul Murugan of OG Tamizha.

A coordinator's T-shirt bears OG Tamizha's logo (right). Photo: Govindaraj.

Maniratnam too insisted that the second demand of his Anti-NEET Federation – for a common place for sit-in protests – was still pending.

OG Tamizha's protest at Thayagam had various dimensions. Students from various colleges came and discussed Tamil Nadu’s education system. In fact, OG Tamizha invited people from various fields to discuss the social and political impacts of NEET.

Kayal of OG Tamizha said: “Though OG Tamizha has organised two events before, this is the first time I’ve attended their event. I’m learning a lot of things here. It doesn’t seem to be just any other protest where you go, voice out for a demand and leave. We have critical discussions here. May it be intellectual, historical, cultural or political. We have our own doubts that we get clarified through these discussions here.”

People from fields as diverse as medicine, education, law, activism, unionism, cinema and other arts came and discussed topics including the OECD's Program for International Student Assessment, the World Bank, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, Brahmanism, Sri Lanka's education standardisation policy as well as resistance through art. Independent musicians too joined the agitation, and OG Tamizha's agitation ended with a protest song named ‘Poraadada’ (‘Let's protest’) everyday. But no one from the media turned up, nor did anyone from the government.

Advocate Vetriselvan, of the Poovulagin Nanbargal movement that works on socio-environmental issues, speaks in front of a signature board at OG Tamizha's sit-in protest. Photo: Govindaraj.

"I tried reaching all possible media outlets. In fact there is a media house in just the next building. But all the media, including YouTube channels, wanted a celebrity face to come in. One major Tamil news channel came and covered the event but did not telecast it on their channel," smiled Arun, one of OG Tamizha's coordinators.

“We have four demands. Legal hurdles for NEET exemption should be removed. Education should be added back to the state list of the constitution. The Tamil Nadu assembly should pass a resolution against the VBSA Bill. The Tamil Nadu government should appoint a committee to recommend the best ways to ensure the safety of Tamil students' rights for school and higher education. This certainly is a long struggle. We adopt new forms of protest to achieve these demands,” said Suresh, a coordinator of OG Tamizha.

When asked how he felt about the media ignoring their protest, Perarasan didn't seem pessimistic. “Protesting for people comes with its own share of problems. We knew it and we have discussed it,” he said, also alleging that his videos began being limited on social media because of his constant posting on OG Tamizha's protest.

“Periyar is our only beacon. He said, ‘Humiliation in public life is not new to me. It does not reduce my value. On the contrary, it just increases it.’ So we don’t worry about these [media] blackouts. We protest even for our protest to be seen. And we will continue to do it,” Perarasan continued.

The Student Artist Federation performs a satire skit for the protesters. Photo: Govindaraj

OG Tamizha wrapped up their 42-day-long protest on September 3. “We are not quitting the protest. We are changing the form of protest. Our protest has reached more than 10,000 students through social media and circulation of pamphlets in various colleges. We are planning to push for the demands through different forms of protest” such as campaigning, organising students conferences and rallying, said Arun.

The sit-in protest ended with a speech by Vaiko, where he invoked the anti-Hindi imposition protests he led during the 1960s. The MDMK leader insisted that the students pursue various forms of protest against NEET.

OG Tamizha's coordinators sang the 'Let's Protest' song for one last time at Thayagam. The image of Anitha stood in silence alongside hundreds of signatures on the signature board seeking a NEET ban. Anitha continues to be the symbol of Tamil Nadu's unique stand to ban NEET.

Karunakaran M. is a Chennai-based journalist. All photos courtesy of Govindaraj, who is also a journalist based in Chennai.

(If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. The Suicide Prevention India Foundation has a list of telephone numbers they can call to speak in confidence. Icall, a counselling service run by TISS, has maintained a crowdsourced list of therapists across the country. You could also take them to the nearest hospital.)

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