Rapper Arivu Detained at Anti NEET Protest, Clarifies He Did Not Meet CM Vijay

Rapper Therukural Arivu staged a protest outside the Tamil Nadu Secretariat on Tuesday demanding the abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) before being briefly detained by police and taken inside the Secretariat. Initial reports stated that Arivu met Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on the latter's instructions. However, the rapper has since clarified that he did not meet the Chief Minister, but instead met Public Works and Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna, to whom he conveyed his concerns over NEET and the police action against students protesting alleged examination irregularities in Delhi.

Arivu said he urged the Tamil Nadu government to intensify efforts to secure the complete abolition of NEET, arguing that the examination has created fear and uncertainty among students and adversely affected their mental well being. He also appealed to the government to support student protests against alleged exam irregularities.

The Tamil Nadu government has consistently opposed NEET, maintaining that admissions to medical colleges in the state should be based on Plus Two examination marks. The protest came amid nationwide demonstrations over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and police action against protesters in Delhi.

Reacting to the incident, DMK MP Kanimozhi accused the state government of targeting YouTubers and social media activists critical of the administration and suppressing protests out of fear of the BJP. She condemned the use of force against students protesting alleged examination irregularities in Delhi.

Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin criticised the police action against Arivu, saying the rapper's voice reflected the sentiments of millions across the country. In a post on X, he alleged that NEET had become "a scam" and said voices demanding its abolition should be heard, not silenced.

Filmmaker Pa. Ranjith also backed the protests, describing them as the collective anger of a generation demanding accountability and opposing the use of force against students. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vijay has reiterated his government's stand that NEET should be abolished, reinforcing Tamil Nadu's long standing opposition to the national medical entrance examination.