Senior journalist and academic Professor K Nageshwar was detained by the police in Hyderabad on Tuesday for protesting over the alleged blunders in the results of Intermediate exams that were announced on April 18 in Telangana. Nageshwar was forcibly picked up by the police as he was speaking to the media in front of the headquarters of Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) in Nampally.
Speaking to reporters, Nageshwar said that the Intermediate marks were crucial for students who were looking to pursue their higher education.
"It is mental harassment on the students and it can have adverse affects. Why are authorities refusing to talk? If a mistake has been made, tell us what it is. It is not the police which should be surrounding the BIE office but government officials. The students should get the justice that they are demanding and we should avoid such incidents taking place again in the future," he told reporters, before the police intervened and attempted to detain him.
Visuals showed the police personnel picking up the senior journalist, who is also an ex-MLC, as he resisted and made multiple attempts to avoid being detained. He was later taken to the Begum Bazar police station.
Speaking to TNM from the station, Nageshwar said, "There are clear political orders at play, or there is no reason for the police to act in this manner. I went alone to speak with some parents and students and when the local media surrounded me, I was telling them my opinion. Is that so wrong? Why are the police not allowing parents to meet with members of the Board. This is ridiculous. The TSBIE should allow parents and students to meet them with grievances and actively work on solving them, instead of behaving in this manner."
Meanwhile, security remains beefed up at Nampally with heavy police presence for a fourth continuous day on Tuesday. Officials also detained activists of the Telugu Nadu Student Federation (TNSF), a student organisation affiliated to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), when they staged a protest in front of the board's office.
A total of 9 lakh students had appeared in the intermediate exams held in February-March. The pass percentage in the first year was 60.5% while in the second year 64.8% students passed the exam.
Many students and parents have complained of discrepancies in the results that were announced and have been demanding answers from the TSBIE. Many bright students who did well in the first year failed in the second year. Most of them were shocked as they were awarded zero, one or two marks. In perhaps the biggest blunder, a student was given zero mark in Telugu subject in intermediate second year.
G. Navya of Mancherial district was shocked to see the result as she was one of the district toppers with 98 marks in the same subject in the first year. When a leading Telugu daily carried her story, the BIE officials swung into action and after re-verification gave her 99 marks.
Another issue is that many students are unable to apply for re-evaluation. According to TSBIE, application for re-evaluation should be mandatorily submitted online with the last date being April 25. However, many students complained that the website through which they need to apply is not working properly. One more issue was that some students who appeared for their exam were also marked as 'absent' or 'fail' in their final results
Amid the continuing protests, BIE Secretary Ashok on Monday said there were few technical errors at the local level. He said those who committed the mistakes would be issued memo and penalty would be imposed on them. He said the board was working in a transparent and efficient manner but some people were spreading falsehood about it.
The Telangana government has already ordered an inquiry by a three-member committee into the alleged lapses in the system deployed by Globarena Technologies, whose services were hired by BIE to conduct the exams.
The report is scheduled to be submitted on Wednesday. Opposition parties like the Congress have demanded a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged irregularities.
Balala Hakkula Sangham, an NGO working for children's rights, approached Telangana High Court on Tuesday, seeking direction to the government to order re-valuation of all answer sheets. It also sought a thorough probe into the lapses and compensation to the families of the students who ended their lives.
IANS inputs