Protest erupts at University of Hyderabad as students, police clash

Students term the March 13 circular to ban protests ‘undemocratic’

Hyderabad: As excavators rolled in to slice off a green corner of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) at Gachibowli and prepare 400 acres for the State government’s intended auction, tension peaked on the campus with students trooping in large numbers to protest.

As eight of the excavators were moved to the university east campus accompanied by heavy police contingent, the students marched in to the site and made efforts to stall the exercise.

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For the past few weeks, university student, teaching and non-teaching communities are up in arms against the government’s decision to auction the forest land at Kancha Gachibowli. The protesters have been arguing that any development activity would spell doom for the flora and fauna, creating ecological imbalance besides destroying lung space for the city.

As the excavators started clearing the shrubs and levelling the land, the protesters, who included a large contingent of women students, intervened and raised slogans against the police personnel who barricaded the entire east campus.

In a bid to stop the work, some students climbed onto the excavators and some tried to lie down in front of the heavy machinery. However, police personnel dragged the students, including Students Union general secretary Nihad Sulaiman, by their feet and some by their hair, and forcefully pushed them into vehicles. Some students who were going to the east campus for studying were also reportedly picked up.

Some protesters complained that the police pulled them by their hair and hit them with helmets. “We just wanted to know what was happening there but the police forcibly took six students, including girls,” the student said.

A girl student, who was among those detained, said they had reached the east campus to find out why the excavators were on the campus. “We just questioned the officials there. In fact, I was returning when the police forcibly detained me,” she added.

According to a research scholar, initially five excavators arrived at the Kancha Gachibowli land, along with heavy police deployment, and later three more were brought in. “How can the State government start the land auctioning process when the matter is sub judice with the next hearing scheduled for April 7,” she questioned.

Later at night, around 300 students gathered at the university main gate to continue their protest. Their efforts to hold a press conference were thwarted by the police who locked the gate, not allowing students to venture out.

“At least 50 students were detained. Several students were beaten and their clothes were torn by the police. We will continue the protest until all detained students are released,” said Umesh Ambedkar, president of UoH Students Union.