Visakhapatnam, Sep 2026 : Former Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pushpa Sreevani and former minister Balaraju of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) were detained by police on Tuesday while they were on their way to meet parents protesting the relocation of 480 tribal students from the Marikavalasa Tribal Welfare Residential School.
According to the YSRCP, the two former ministers were stopped by police to prevent them from reaching the protest site at the Marikavalasa Tribal Gurukulam. The leaders reportedly objected to being stopped, leading to an argument with police personnel before they were escorted away in a police vehicle.
The controversy centres on the decision to convert the Marikavalasa AP Tribal Welfare Residential Boys’ English Medium School into a Centre of Excellence (CoE) offering specialised coaching for competitive examinations such as NEET and IIT.
The school has been functioning since 2004 and had around 480 students, including Class 10 pupils. The students were reportedly shifted midway through the academic year to residential institutions located at Sabbavaram, Srikrishnapuram, Devarapalli, Parvathipuram and other locations.
Parents have strongly opposed the relocation and demanded that the school continue functioning from its existing campus at Marikavalasa. A resolution supporting continuation of the school was reportedly passed by the Parents Committee and communicated to the authorities.
Despite the objections, officials proceeded with the relocation with police personnel deployed at the site, according to the YSRCP. The uncertainty surrounding the future of the institution has also resulted in several students obtaining Transfer Certificates. Around 70 students have reportedly taken TC certificates so far.
Students and their parents subsequently organised protests at different locations, including the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) office in Paderu. Discussions with officials, however, failed to resolve the dispute, prompting the parents to continue their agitation.
Marikavalasa is among four tribal residential institutions being converted into Centres of Excellence with the involvement of private institutions. The other three are located at Meghadrigedda in Visakhapatnam, Tadikonda in Guntur and Kota in Nellore. Together, the proposed changes are expected to affect nearly 2,000 tribal students.
The YSRCP has sharply criticised the TDP-led coalition government, accusing it of disrupting the education of tribal students by shifting them from established residential schools in the middle of the academic year. The Opposition party also objected to the deployment of police against students and parents protesting the decision.
The party argued that efforts to improve access to specialised education should not come at the cost of uprooting children from functioning institutions against the wishes of their families. It demanded that the government immediately reconsider the relocation decision and ensure that affected students can continue their education without disruption.
The YSRCP has also sought details of the proposed Centre of Excellence model, particularly the terms and conditions under which the tribal residential schools are being converted with the participation of private institutions.
YSRCP spokesperson Konda Rajeev said the party, under the leadership of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, would continue to support the tribal students and their families in their demand to retain the Marikavalasa institution.
Rajeev condemned the detention of Pushpa Sreevani, who served as Deputy Chief Minister and Tribal Welfare Minister, while she was attempting to meet the protesting students and parents.
“Using the police machinery to suppress those questioning the government has become a disturbing pattern under the coalition government. The treatment meted out to Pushpa Sreevani is disgraceful and condemnable,” he said.
The YSRCP spokesperson demanded that the nearly two-decade-old Marikavalasa Tribal Welfare Residential School, which caters to students from Class 5 through Intermediate, be allowed to continue at its present location.
He suggested that if the government intends to establish a new Centre of Excellence, it should identify alternative land and construct a separate facility rather than displacing students from an established institution.
The Opposition party has maintained that the interests and academic continuity of the affected tribal students should remain the priority. Rajeev asserted that the YSRCP would continue its campaign until the government addresses the concerns of students and parents and justice is secured for the affected families.
