Students condemn police highhandedness
HYDERABAD: University of Hyderabad (UoH) saw intense protests on Sunday against the government’s alleged plans to auction a large portion of university land. The police took 54 students into preventive custody. No cases were filed.
The protests, which have been going for over 10 days, reached a flashpoint when authorities brought in excavators and bulldozers to clear land at Kancha Gachbowli.
Students accused the police of being ‘excessively highhanded’ and ‘undemocratic’ and detaining hundreds of protestors.
Students alleged that they were manhandled and arrested without proper communication. Nihad Sulaiman, general secretary of the HCU students’ union, claimed that the police did not spare girls, and dragged them away.
The matter is in the Telangana High Court, which has given the government time until early April to submit a counter before any action is taken. Despite the matter being sub-judice, students claimed, the authorities had moved in heavy machinery to clear the land.
The protest took a dramatic turn when a heavy police force, reportedly including armed personnel, was deployed in the campus to disperse the students.
K. Swathi, president of the George Reddy PDSU OU committee, criticised the government for using force instead of engaging in dialogue.
The SFI Telangana State Committee has called for a statewide student protest, demanding the unconditional release of those arrested.
T. Nagaraju, state secretary of SFI Telangana, warned that students would not be silent if the government handed over university land to corporations.
The issue has also gained traction on social media, with hashtags such as #SaveKanchaForest and #SaveHCU trending as students and activists called for wider support.
