UoH students protest over dissolution of students union without general body meeting 

In a circular issued on Tuesday, the Dean Students Welfare said the students' union for 2023-24 has been dissolved with immediate effect as approved by the competent authority

Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) students expressed their ire at the administration’s decision to dissolve the students’ union (SU) for 2023-24 without calling for the university general body meeting (UGBM). This university’s decision led to protests by students demanding UGBM.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, the Dean Students Welfare said the students’ union for 2023-24 has been dissolved with immediate effect as approved by the competent authority. The election commission would conduct the elections for 2024-25.

Terming the circular as autocratic, different student organisations criticised dissolving the union before its tenure and said it violated the SU constitution. The student organisations said the decision to dissolve the students union was taken at a time when the PhD admissions with over 400 students were pending.”The university cannot dissolve the students’ union without following a proper procedure without calling the UGBM, taking away the right of the SU to present its report before the student community,” they said.

Calling the university’s decision ‘undemocratic’ and ‘autocratic’, in a statement the SFI UoH unit said students’ union was dissolved without adhering to the official procedure. “This is yet again another example of the administration’s deliberate tactics aimed at suppressing dissent and dismantling democratic and representative bodies,” it said.

Students demanded the university hold elections to the students’ union after completing the PhD admissions and also wanted the administration to call for UGBM.