Vadodara: Several students of the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) were detained by police on Monday after they took out a rally in support of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and demanded the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.The rally, organised from the Faculty of Arts to D. N. Hall, drew a large number of students and was held in solidarity with the ongoing protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.Police detained several participants after the march. The exact number of those detained was not immediately known.Student leader Nikhil Solanki alleged that Wangchuk had been on a hunger strike for nearly 20 days over issues concerning students, but the Union govt had not initiated any dialogue with him. He also alleged that more than 70 examination papers had been leaked during the present govt’s tenure and claimed that students’ concerns were being ignored.“The rally was organised to raise our voice against the alleged erosion of democratic values and to support students’ issues. It was a non-political programme,” Solanki said.He further alleged that repeated paper leaks had adversely affected deserving students, particularly those from economically weaker sections, and reiterated the demand for Pradhan’s resignation. He also accused the Centre of shielding the minister despite the controversies.Another participant, Zeba Makrani, questioned the police action against protesters in Delhi, alleging that force had been used to disperse demonstrators and that communication services in the area had been disrupted.The rally in Vadodara mirrored protests taking place at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where Wangchuk and his supporters have been demanding action on issues concerning students and other public causes. The organisers maintained that the Vadodara march was peaceful and non-political and was intended to express solidarity with the ongoing protest.
