Hyderabad: A circular was issued by the authorities of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) banning the sale of food by outside vendors in order to protect the interests of the vendors on campus.
Events took an ugly turn when security officials, including T. V Rao, the head of security, reportedly destroyed the wares of fruit sellers who had set up small stalls outside the main gate of the campus. The vendors were selling seasonal fruits such as custard apples and grapes.
A group of students organised a flash protest demanding compensation for the fruit sellers who belong to the Lambada tribe. “We sleep at Gachibowli Stadium every day at night, and we go to collect fresh fruits from wholesale markets in the morning. We have suffered losses because of the damage to our fruits. My baskets alone contained fruits worth Rs 6,000,” said one seller.
The protest was successful at attracting the attention of the university authorities who tried to negotiate with the fruit sellers, and when their attempts failed, the police had to be called.
K. Naveen Kumar, the Sub-Inspector of Gachibowli, says, “The head of security claims that the fruits had to be removed to ensure that no accidents occurred near the main gate. No case has been registered, but we have asked the university authorities to replace the fruit baskets and pay the sellers Rs 20,000 as compensation.”
Security officials claim that the vendors have been selling their wares outside the university for the past six months. Despite the Vice-Chancellor repeatedly requesting them to clear the area, they refuse to budge because they get a lot of business from students.
Mr Rao, said. “At 11 am, I asked them to leave and I took their wares into the campus. They followed me, so I gave back the wares and asked them to set up shop on the other side of the road. The next thing I hear is students claiming that I destroyed the fruits. The fruit sellers asked for Rs 50,000 as compensation. Each basket must have contained fruits worth Rs 500 only.”
