Brutal attacks were carried out on the statewide hunger strikes organised by YSRCP and Gen Z demanding a CBI inquiry into the irregularities, malpractice, scam and paper leak in DSC–2025, and the resignation of Minister Nara Lokesh on moral grounds.
Acting on the instructions of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh, TDP mobs went on a rampage across the State. They attacked protest camps, assaulted party leaders and behaved like street hooligans. Peaceful protesters were targeted with eggs, tomatoes and stones.
Instead of protecting the demonstrators, the police supported the attackers, dragged away YSRCP leaders and youth and created an atmosphere of fear across the State.
The same pattern was witnessed in Repalle, Yadiki, Macherla, Kanigiri, Gurazala, Kandukur, Tadipatri, Ponnur, Bapatla and several other places. TDP cadres specifically targeted the hunger-strike camps, demolished the tents and attacked leaders and students. Even as these incidents unfolded in front of the police, the officers remained passive spectators.
Arrogance Takes an Ugly Form
The ruling establishment’s arrogance in trying to silence those questioning the DSC irregularities through violence took an ugly form across Andhra Pradesh. TDP cadres attacked hunger-strike camps organised by YSRCP, unemployed youth and Gen Z representatives demanding a CBI inquiry into the irregularities in the conduct of the examination and the question-paper leak, and the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh on moral grounds.
Peaceful protest camps were deliberately targeted. Tents were pulled down, chairs were destroyed, eggs and stones were hurled, and leaders and party workers were physically attacked, creating severe tension at several locations.
No Answers to the Questions—Only Attacks on Those Who Ask
The government has so far failed to give a direct answer to the doubts raised by unemployed youth over the DSC examination. Serious questions have emerged over the preparation of question papers, conduct of the examination, evaluation, normalisation and Sports Quota appointments.
Instead of ordering an independent inquiry and placing the facts before the public, the government chose to suppress those raising questions. Unemployed youth asked: “If no irregularities occurred, why is the government afraid of a CBI inquiry? If the process was transparent, why is it unwilling to participate in an open debate?”
Opposition leaders said unleashing ruling-party cadres against peaceful protesters, instead of responding to the evidence, amounted to an attack on democracy.
Street Hooliganism in Vijayawada
Serious tension prevailed in Vijayawada after TDP cadres attacked the hunger-strike camp and attempted to destroy it. Eggs were hurled at the protesters.
Instead of protecting former MLA Malladi Vishnu and other YSRCP leaders, the police dragged them away from the protest site. Party leaders questioned why the police forcibly removed those sitting in peaceful protest while failing to restrain the group that had come to attack them.
They said the police remained passive while ruling-party cadres launched attacks in their presence and later used force against the victims, raising grave questions about the impartiality of the police system.
The Same Pattern from Repalle to Tadipatri
Similar attacks were reported at Repalle, Yadiki, Macherla, Kanigiri, Gurazala, Kandukur, Tadipatri, Ponnur, Bapatla and several other places.
TDP cadres reached the protest sites, pulled down tents, tore banners, threw chairs and threatened those participating in the hunger strikes.
Questions are now being raised across the State: Is the government unable to tolerate even the peaceful expression of grievances by unemployed youth? Does coming to power give a political party ownership over public roads, protest spaces and every democratic platform?
TDP Mobs Run Riot in Full View of the Police
Police, who were expected to prevent the attacks, acted like a protective shield for TDP cadres at several locations. Victims said the police failed to stop ruling-party workers from charging towards the hunger-strike camps, but forcibly dragged away YSRCP leaders and unemployed youth.
Opposition leaders questioned where citizens could seek protection if the law-enforcement machinery itself acted in favour of the ruling party. They demanded that video recordings and CCTV footage of the incidents be secured immediately and that criminal cases be registered not only against those who carried out the attacks, but also against those who instigated and facilitated them.
Government Rattled by the Gen Z Movement
The DSC controversy is no longer confined to a programme organised by one political party. Candidates who spent years preparing for the examinations, unemployed youth and students are taking to the streets seeking justice.
Large protests were held on July 28 in Vijayawada, Nellore, Tirupati, Nandyal and several other places. Tension prevailed at Narasannapeta after police obstructed a protest rally. The movement has since expanded across the State, with a CBI investigation and Lokesh’s resignation emerging as its principal demands.
Observers said the government could not dismiss the questions raised by young people as mere political criticism when the issue concerned the future of lakhs of candidates. The increasing support from students and unemployed youth has strengthened the charge that the government deployed both its administrative machinery and party cadres to suppress the movement at its initial stage.
Lokesh’s Empty Challenges Exposed
YSRCP leaders said Minister Nara Lokesh’s claims that he was ready for a debate on DSC were hollow. They had challenged him to participate in an open discussion with the complete examination records, question-paper preparation procedures, evaluation details, normalisation data, changes made to merit lists and Sports Quota selection records, but he had failed to respond.
They made it clear that personal attacks, political counter-charges and violence by party cadres could not divert attention from the central issue. The demand of unemployed youth was simple: it was not enough for the government to merely claim that no irregularities occurred—it must establish that fact through an independent investigation.
Attacks Cannot Erase the Stain on DSC
Protest tents may be pulled down, banners may be torn and demonstrators may be arrested, but the questions raised by candidates over DSC cannot be erased.
Youth organisations warned that violence might obstruct a protest programme for one day, but it could not suppress the anguish of lakhs of unemployed youth. If the government truly had nothing to hide, it should agree to a CBI investigation, place the complete examination records before the public and provide issue-wise answers to every charge.
Public organisations also demanded impartial action against those responsible for the attacks, irrespective of their political affiliation. They warned that sending ruling-party mobs to protest camps and creating an atmosphere of fear was not a solution to the DSC controversy.
Brutal Attack on a Democratic Protest
What the government faces in the DSC controversy is not merely political criticism from the Opposition. It is the question of young people who have waited for years for employment. It is a question concerning the future of lakhs of candidates who appeared for the examination carrying the hopes of their families.
A government that is expected to answer those questions only exposes its weakness—not its strength—when it responds by attacking those who raise them.
The voice of Gen Z cannot be silenced with stones, eggs or police force. Every fresh attack will only deepen suspicions surrounding the DSC irregularities. The more severe the repression becomes, the wider and stronger the movement of unemployed youth will grow.
