Jagan Reddy Questions Relocation Of Tribal Students, Condemns Police Action Against Party Leaders

YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has condemned police action against party leaders who tried to meet protesting parents at Marikavalasa and questioned the decision to shift tribal students from an established residential school.

In a post on X, the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister asked why children had been moved from the Tribal Welfare Residential School and criticised the detention of former deputy chief minister Pushpa Sreevani and former minister Balaraju.

"What crime have they committed?" he said, referring to those who stood with parents and raised concerns over the relocation. He said the government should address the grievances of tribal families instead of using the police against protesters.

.@ncbn గారూ… గిరిజన వర్గానికి చెందిన మాజీ మంత్రులు, మాజీ ఎమ్మెల్యేలు, నాయకులమీద ఇంతటి క్రౌర్యమా? మాజీ డిప్యూటీ సీఎం పుష్ప శ్రీవాణిమీద అనుచిత ప్రవర్తనకు తెగబడతారా? పోలీసు బలంతో వారి గొంతునొక్కేయడానికి ఈ స్థాయికి దిగజారుతారా? ఎక్కడికక్కడ వైయస్సార్‌సీపీ నాయకులను గృహ నిర్బంధాలకు… pic.twitter.com/iO8xPbQmoi

— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) September 1, 2026

The political confrontation intensified on Tuesday when Sreevani and Balaraju were detained while attempting to reach parents protesting the shifting of students. The YSRCP demanded that the children be allowed to continue their education at Marikavalasa.

The government has defended the decision to convert the school into a Centre of Excellence (CoE), saying the initiative is aimed at providing tribal students with specialised residential coaching for NEET, IIT-JEE and other national-level competitive examinations.

Officials said the proposed centre would accommodate about 600 ST Intermediate students and help identify and nurture tribal talent.

The government has also maintained that arrangements were made to accommodate the displaced students in other tribal residential institutions. Opponents, however, say the relocation was carried out midway through the academic year and disrupted the education and welfare of children.

The controversy widened after the All India Child Rights Protection Forum (AICRPF) approached the Andhra Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The forum sought intervention to safeguard the right to education and other rights of tribal children affected by the relocation.

The complaint followed allegations that around 480 students were forced to vacate their hostel at night, with their belongings moved to make way for the proposed CoE.

It was alleged that the evacuation began around 9 p.m. and continued into the following day, triggering protests by students, parents and tribal organisations. The move has also drawn criticism from within the ruling TDP-led alliance. Bheemili MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao questioned the manner in which the students were shifted, with reports describing the late-night relocation as inhuman.