Tamil Nadu withdraws circular on monitoring students’ political protests

he Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department has withdrawn a controversial circular that proposed coordination between government colleges, police and district administrations to prevent students from participating in political protests. The Directorate of Collegiate Education had issued the circular on August 17, calling for a mechanism to monitor students’ participation in protests organised by political parties, including Left parties and the Tamil Nadu Cockroach Janata Party. A fresh order issued by the Joint Director of Collegiate Education on Wednesday stated that the earlier communication was “withdrawn with immediate effect.” The withdrawal came amid opposition from the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), which had announced a protest outside the Directorate of Collegiate Education in Chennai. SFI welcomed the move, calling it a victory for students’ democratic rights. The organisation questioned the need for government departments and police to monitor students’ political participation and demanded an explanation from the State government over why the original circular was issued. SFI maintained that while authorities can act against unlawful activities, peaceful political participation and expression of views should not be treated as offences. The State government and the Higher Education Minister are yet to publicly respond to the controversy.

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