The suicide of a female student, M. Pravalika (23), in Hyderabad over the postponement of a competitive exam by the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has triggered a large-scale protest. Pravalika took her own life in her hostel, where she was preparing for the Group-2 exam. The protest, which took place in the Ashok Nagar area of Hyderabad on Friday night, was joined by hundreds of students who sat on the road with her body, demanding justice.
Prominent politicians, including BJP MP K. Laxman and Congress leader Anil Kumar Yadav, joined the demonstration, causing tension in the area. The protesters expressed their grievances about the repeated cancellation and postponement of TSPSC exams due to question paper leaks and other issues. The protest turned violent as stones were pelted at the police, resulting in injuries to two officers. The police eventually resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the demonstrators and shifted the body to Gandhi Hospital for an autopsy.
Pravalika’s body was later transported to her hometown of Warangal. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President A. Revanth Reddy described the student’s suicide as “murder by the government” and urged the public to participate in a ‘sadak bandh’ protest organized by Congress and other opposition parties.