Student groups stage ‘black flag’ protest against Education MoS Sukanta Majumdar’s visit to IIT-Madras

Sukanta Majumdar. File.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI

Members of the Federation of Student Organisations – Tamil Nadu (FSO-TN) on Friday (February 28, 2025) staged a ‘black flag’ protest in Chennai against Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar’s visit to Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M).

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The protesters, headed by DMK students’ wing secretary C.V.M.P. Ezhilarasan, raised slogans condemning the Union government for refusing to release funds for the school education sector and imposing the condition that it would be released only if Tamil Nadu adopted the National Education Policy (NEP). Mr. Ezhilarasan warned that the students’ protest, similar to anti-Hindi agitations in 1965, would continue across the State.

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Traffic was thrown out of gear for some time as the protestors, holding placards and black flags, staged a sit-in protest by blocking on the arterial Sardar Patel Road. Earlier, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan was scheduled to visit IIT-M. However, his visit was cancelled later.