Hyderabad: With the Supreme Court ordering all deforestation works to stop at Kancha Gachibowli, students from University of Hyderabad have called-off their relay hunger strike. The campus in unison celebrated the temporary relief granted by the apex court on Thursday, April 3.
About 20 students took part in the strike as they sat in front of the north gate of the University of Hyderabad demanding the immediate halting of the deforestation drive and the removal of bulldozers from the university campus. They also demanded the withdrawal of the large contingent of police personnel deployed at the university’s east campus.
The University of Hyderabad Teachers Association had also held a rally against the state government’s decision to raze the land parcel, which was earlier in possession of the varsity. Students had also claimed that the felling of trees continued till Thursday morning despite a Telangana High Court order to halt the same and a Supreme Court hearing underway.
‘Bare minimum force’: Police deny lathicharge on University of Hyderabad students
The issue flared up last week when the state government sent JCBs to clear the 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli, which was met with fierce protests from University of Hyderabad students. In ensuing protests, videos that surfaced from the teachers’ march against the deforestation at the 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land, police officials could be seen using force.
The police however claimed that personnel at the University of Hyderabad did not lathicharge students but used “bare minimum force” on those who pushed officials holding a rope.
According go the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC), the 400 acres of land was given to IMG Academies Bharatha Ltd for development by the earlier joint Andhra Pradesh government in 2003. The state eventually sought it back as it was not being utilised and had gone to court on the issue. TGIIC also said that in lieu of this 400 acre land parcel, the state had given the University of Hyderabad 397 acres, dated on February 3, 2004.
The TGIIC said that legally University of Hyderabad has no claims on this 400 acres as it was given 397 acres elsewhere in exchange. Moreover, the fact of the matter is that the land on which the campus stands also still does not belong to the varsity itself technically, as that was never formally done.
