Hyderabad: The ABVP inaugurated a permanent Amar Jawan stupa on the south campus of the University of Hyderabad and renamed the area as Kargil Chowk. The decision was taken after the administration allegedly forcefully removed the temporary stupa at 3 am on Friday. The Kargil Chowk was earlier known as Bhagat Singh circle.
ABVP member Abhi-shek Malhotra said: “We had set up the stupa for 24 hours but when the administration took it down we realised that it fears the impact of having a nationalistic symbol on campus and decided to make it permanent.”
The university administration claims that the structure was put up on July 26, on Thursday security officials found that the temporary structure had not been removed.
Despite instructions from security personnel to remove the stupa which did not have permission, the students installed a concrete structure at 2 am which was inaugurated in the evening on Friday evening.
An official said the university had not permitted any installation inside the campus. “We will be having a conversation with student parties to ensure that no such activity takes place in the future,” he said.
Professor G. Haragopal, ex-faculty member, said, “Limiting one’s approach and being narrow-minded about nationalism will harm the university. A stupa cannot be considered as a symbol of nationalism. Nationalism is not territorial and narrow views will prove to be counter productive to the idea of nationalism.”
There was another controversy over the university’s cleanliness drive which included whitewashing walls ahead of the new academic year.
Students complained that stencil drawings and paintings by students of Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, Karl Marx and others had been painted over.
Student Union president Kuldeep Singh Nagi said, “The whitewashing was done at 3 am when they knew students would not be around. When we spoke to the administration, they were adamant that political figures not related to academics sho-uld not be highlighted.”
