Hyderabad: Fresh protests erupted in University of Hyderabad over the removal of tents by the university’s security. The tents had been put up in the north shopping complex area of the campus where students have been protesting since January over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula.
The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice which is spearheading the protest had erected tents at the location in January. Recently, on May 22, the university had issued a notice to the Students Union asking it to remove the tents within 48 hours saying they were erected without permission from the university.
On Saturday, around 1 AM, the university security removed the tents. Protesting JAC members then blocked the university’s main gate until noon on Saturday and are now considering filing a police complaint against UoH, Vice Chancellor, Prof Appa Rao Podile and also the security head of the university.
A member of the JAC said, “The security staff kept denying that they had removed the tents even though a few of our members saw them removing them at night. During the evacuation they also defiled a portrait of Dr B.R. Ambedkar which was hung near one of the tents, destroyed a banner which had quotes of Dr Ambedkar and took away a copy of the Preamble we had kept there.
This is completely unacceptable and we will file a police complain Dr Vipin Srivastava, senior faculty member who has been appointed as spokesperson for the university said, “The notice was issued saying that the tents have to be removed. A proper procedure has to be followed if they want to erect tents and protest. They need permissions via proper channel.”
