UoH situation turns dicey; students’ union calls for total boycott of classes from today

Hyderabad:Khaki uniforms were all over the University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus on Monday. At the northern gate, a protest placard fluttered stating, “Not an inch more. Not an inch back” with the famed mushroom rock hand-painted next to it, a clear message from the students of UoH.

Access was tight. Inside, the campus had changed overnight with 50 acres of green land cleared in a single night.

Photos released from within the campus show more than 20 JCBs in action inside the premises. They entered on Sunday and by next morning had razed large swathes of greenery.

“The entire east campus is barricaded. Three departments, mathematics, economics and management, are inside that zone. They aren’t even letting in students from those departments,” said HCUSU general secretary Nihad Sulaiman.

Tensions rose after several students were picked up by police on Sunday night. Nihad was among those detained and later released, but two remain in custody. Students call the charges vague.

“They were booked for obstructing duties,” said a union member. “One was taken yesterday and another, who went to check on the others, was also detained.”

No official explanation was offered for the detentions.

“Around 30 to 40 police have now pitched tents in the campus, with tear gas at hand. Any reaction from our side could worsen things,” he said.

Students say officials also tried to extract undertakings on video, asking detainees to promise that they would not interfere in the land issue.

“We refused,” he added.

Police officials refuted the claims stating, “There are no tear gas and the police are outside the campus. If students are being denied access to departments, that’s the university’s doing. We’re not barricading anything.”

Students disagree. They describe tighter surveillance, internal barricades, and scrutiny at entry points.

“They’re checking phones and cameras in the east campus; threatening us with cases. Some were told those detained won’t be released if protests continue,” said a HCUSU member.

The timing has raised eyebrows. A PIL by activist Uday Krishna and NGO Water Foundation which is seeking to declare the land an ecologically sensitive zone, is pending in the Telangana High Court.

The hearing is on April 7. Students believe the land is being cleared ahead of that to remove all forest cover.

“They want to destroy evidence before filing their counter,” said PhD scholar G. Mohith. “If there’s no forest, it’s easier to claim it was always barren.”

Environmental concerns are driving the unrest. The cleared area is part of a 400-acre stretch in Kancha Gachibowli within campus limits. The state government plans to auction it for industrial use through TGIIC.

The students’ union has called for a total boycott of classes from Tuesday and announced an indefinite protest at the admin block. Their demands: immediate removal of police and JCBs from campus, a written commitment from the university to pursue legal ownership of the land, release of minutes of executive committee meeting on the issue, and full transparency on all land-related documents.