Hyderabad: While the University of Hyderabad has been on the boil over Rohith’s suicide for nearly three weeks, the English and Foreign Languages University witnessed a stand off between around 25 policemen and more than 100 students in the campus on Monday. However, there was no violence.
Eflu students had been protesting since Sunday night, demanding revocation of disciplinary action taken against eight students of the university last November. Around 25 students slept outside in the lawns in front of the library as a mark of protest. On Monday, the Proctorial Board of the university conducted a meeting in which it was decided that the punishments awarded to the eight students would be waived off and the same was conveyed by the university’s proctor to the protesting students. However, the students are demanding that the punishment be completely revoked.
A member of the students’ union said, “If the punishment is only waived off, it will stay on our records and as per EFLU rules we will never be able to apply to the university again if we want to pursue further education here. It will also affect the scope of getting fellowships in future, we will not be able to contest or vote in students’ union elections again, and in future if we protest against the university on some issue, the administration can rusticate us saying that this is for the second time that we are being caught for anti-university protests. We want the punishment to be revoked because it was unjust.”
The disciplinary actions ranged from suspension from hostel and cutting Ph.D fellowships for a period of three to six months, to restricting the presence of some students in campus from 9 am to 6 pm. The various reasons for which action was taken included leading anti-university protests, disturbing the academic atmosphere of the university and unauthorised entry into girls’ hostel. The students against whom the actions were taken had participated in protests demanding conduct of students’ union elections in the university.
