A B.Tech student, Ravi Teja, climbed a microwave tower at Gunadala here on Wednesday protesting against reservations being given on the basis of caste.
He demanded that economic backwardness should be the criteria for reservations or 10 per cent bonus marks awarded in entrance examinations to poor students and those grown up in villages.
Ravi Teja and four others reached the tower around 10.30 a.m. and put up a banner that contained their demands. Teja then climbed the tower while his friends raised slogans against caste-based reservations.
Police took Teja’s friends into custody. Teja, however, managed to climb the tower amidst appeals by the police to come down. He stayed there for close to three hours and answered mobile phone calls from his friends and media persons who gathered there in a large numbers.
He warned that he would jump from there if anyone tried to reach him. The police too spoke to him but to no avail. They even brought a net to save the youth in case he jumped from the tower.
Ravi Teja gave up his protest around 1 p.m. after Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Rammohan reached the spot and spoke to him over phone. Teja was taken into custody by Machavaram police on the charge of attempting suicide.
Speaking to the media later, Mr. Teja said reservations should be given on the basis of poverty/economic backwardness but not in the name of any particular caste.
“A number of youngsters belonging to the economically weaker sections are suffering a lot as they do not have any reservation. What about them? The Government should think of such unfortunate people,” he demanded.
He also demanded that film actor and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan should react to the need for reservations on economic backwardness of the students. “Mr. Pawan Kalyan did not reveal what his party’s stand is on reservations and various other issues. He should tell what his party is going to do,” Mr. Teja added.
Student demands
that economic backwardness
be the criterion
for quota
