A group of Civil Services aspirants agitating in Delhi against 'language discrimination' today tried to march towards Parliament but were stopped by the police which later took them into preventive custody
New Delhi: A group of Civil Services aspirants agitating in Delhi against 'language discrimination' today tried to march towards Parliament but were stopped by the police which later took them into preventive custody.
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The protestors, who had clashed with the police last night in North Delhi, were stopped outside Central Secretariat metro station from where they were taken to Parliament Street Police Station.
"We have detained around 150 protesters. Necessary preventive action will be taken if needed," said a senior Delhi Police official. Two metro stations--Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhavan --were shut to prevent the protesters from reaching anywhere near Parliament House.
"As advised by the police, the two metro stations have been closed for public from 12:45 pm till further advice. Interchange facility will be available at Central Secretariat," said a DMRC spokesperson.
The protesters claimed that the current format discriminates against those who are not proficient in English.
"We wanted to go toward Parliament as there is no one from the government to talk to us. In this current format, there are more chances of discrimination to those who are not so proficient in English. We have got assurances in the past but nothing happened. Yesterday, we were issued our admit cards and now on 24th (of August) we have our papers. We want something to be done immediately," said a Civil Service aspirant.
They have been protesting for sometime now demanding scrapping of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) and had blocked the main highway by-pass road near Burari in North Delhi last night after UPSC issued admit cards for the preliminary examination scheduled next month.
They had clashed with the police, set several vehicles, including a police jeep, on fire, and indulged in stone- pelting leaving 12 people injured.