BRSV leaders arrested during protest near Assembly over education allocations
Bharat Rashtra Samithi Students Wing activists protested near Telangana Assembly over pending fee reimbursements and education neglect. Police detained several leaders after a scuffle, as students demanded dues clearance, job calendar implementation and better funding for welfare schemes
Hyderabad: The activists of BRSV (BRS student wing) attempted to besiege the Telangana Assembly over neglect of the education sector by the Congress government and demand for release of pending fee reimbursement dues. The police detained several BRSV leaders and shifted them to Punjagutta and Nampally police stations.
In a flash protest, the BRSV activists appeared near the Assembly gates carrying placards and raising slogans against the government. Some activists climbed onto the barricades, leading to a brief scuffle with police before they were taken into custody. Among those arrested were BRSV State president Gellu Srinivas Yadav, vice-president Thunga Balu and several student leaders.
The BRSV demanded immediate clearance of fee reimbursement arrears, implementation of the job calendar and restoration of student welfare schemes, warning that protests would intensify if the government failed to respond.
Speaking to mediapersons before his arrest, Srinivas Yadav said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy failed to give priority to education despite repeated assurances. He said that though the Telangana State Education Commission recommended allocating 18 per cent of the budget to the sector, the government limited it to just eight per cent.
He raised concerns over the pending release of nearly 80 per cent of last year’s fee reimbursement funds. He said the outstanding dues crossed Rs 8,000 crore, while the present budget allocated only about Rs 4,000 crore. He also alleged that most of the education budget was being spent on salaries, leaving little for student welfare schemes.
