Scores of workers and students' activists were taken into custody Monday as the Congress, BJP and various student outfits in Telangana ratcheted up protests over the alleged goof-up in declaration of Intermediate exam results, demanding removal of the State education minister.
The Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) jointly called for a 'Maha Dharna' at the office of Board of Intermediate Education to protest the alleged failures of the BIE and the "negligent" attitude of the TRS government towards the conduct of Intermdiate exams.
Several leaders were put under "house arrest" in parts of the city and across the state, the parties claimed.
The protesters alleged that over 20 students committed suicide since April 18 after the results were declared.
Separately, state BJP president K Laxman launched an indefinite fast outside his party office.
However, he was removed from the place within a few hours and shifted to the state-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) by police.
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He was shifted "in view of his health", police said.
Condemning the police action, Laxman announced that he would continue his fast.
Amid the protests, the Telangana High Court directed the Education department and BIE officials to complete the recounting and re-verification of papers by May 8 and submit a report before it in this regard.
The BJP's demands include sacking of education minister G Jagadeesh Reddy, suspension of BIE secretary, judicial inquiry into the entire episode and compensation to families of students who allegedly committed suicide.
Students' organisations demanded the education minister's resignation.
The students also made a vain bid to "lay siege" to the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education office here and Pragathi Bhavan, the official residence complex-cum-camp office of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Several protesters were taken into preventive custody, police said.
Telangana TDP President L Ramana, CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) chief M Kodandaram were among the leaders who were either taken into preventive custody or put under house arrest by police.
Police, who had stepped up security near the BIE office, foiled attempts by activists of Students' Federation of India, Progressive Democratic Students Union, Democratic Youth Federation of India, All India Democratic Students' Organisation and other students' organisations to barge into the TSBIE office.
The protesters were whisked away in police vehicles.
Similarly, many Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat activsts were taken into preventive custody when they tried to hold protests near Pragathi Bhavan.
They raised slogans against the government and demanded resignation of Education Minister and suspension of officials of BIE including its secretary A Ashok against "irregularities" in the declaration of the results.
The protesters also demanded "blacklisting" the private firm which was given contract for data collection and processing of the results.
They also sought ex gratia for over 20 students, who they alleged committed suicide after the results were declared.
The exams were conducted during February and March this year and the results announced on April 18. Some students claimed they either failed or got poor marks though they had done well in exams.
The TSBIE imposed a fine on a private educational institute lecturer who served as examiner and suspended a lecturer after a second-year (final) Intermediate girl student was allegedly given '00' marks even though she secured 99 marks in Telugu paper, an official release said Sunday night.
Following allegations of bungling in the announcement of results, protests by students, parents, students' organisations and political parties are being held across the state over the past one week.
Senior Congress leader and former minister J Geetha Reddy claimed that the dharna call given by the party was successful.
She alleged that police forcibly took scores of party workers into custody across the state.
She also claimed that a committee headed by former education minister K Srihari had earlier rejected the private company and demanded an inquiry as to how the "incapable" firm was given contract for data collection.
She demanded that the education mMinister be sacked and Rs 50 lakh ex gratia be given to the families of each student who allegedly committed suicide.