Tribal students, who marched from Nashik demanding basic facilities in their schools and hostels, were detained at the Congress’s Maharashtra headquarters and taken out of Mumbai on Tuesday, a day after they accused the police of trying to crush their protest.
The action came as the students insisted on meeting Governor Jishnu Dev Verma after being denied permission to hold a protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Police guarding Tilak Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters where the students had been staying since Monday, stopped them from exiting as they prepared to leave. Soon the students were put on private buses and driven away. “We are not sure whether they will be dropped in Nashik or somewhere close to the city. They have been demanding an independent probe into the deaths of students at tribal schools. The students demanded an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the distribution of grants and action against officials responsible. They sought the resignation of state tribal development minister Ashok Uike, alleging that he failed to fulfil his responsibilities.
The students vowed to return to Mumbai on October 25 before they were taken out of the city. The Congress provided shelter to around 200-300 students after police denied them permission to hold their protest at Azad Maidan. The students began their march on September 28 and reached Mumbai late Sunday night. The students have sought ₹ 1 crore compensation each for the families of three girls who died of snakebite at a school in Gadchiroli.
“The students are believed to have been taken back to Nashik,” said a Congress functionary.
