Hyderabad: Several students from the University of Hyderabad (UoH) here were detained by the Cyberabad police after they began protesting against JCBs clearing part of the UoH’s east campus on Sunday, March 30. The clearance is part of the Telangana government’s plan to sell 400 acres of prime land which includes biodiversity and the Mushroom Rocks, which is believed to be about two billion years old.
In disturbing visuals from inside the University of Hyderabad campus, police officials and other security personnel dressed in army clothing can be seen mercilessly dragging students into buses amid protests against the JCBs clearing the eastern area of the UoH campus. The protests began after the JCBs came to the campus around 2 p.m.
The protesting students from the campus, who have been against their campus land being sold by the state government, said that cops roughed them up while detaining them. Some of the students had their clothes torn, while others received minor injuries in scuffles that ensued.
Soon after students got to know about it, a group of six students including a member of the Students Union went to enquire and were detained by the police. “Soon after that, others mobilised and one by one the police detained them as well. We have no idea where those who have been taken are being kept,: said a student.
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“They are picking anyone and everyone who went near the JCBs to protest,” the student from University of Hyderabad who did not want to be identified told Siasat.com. On Saturday night, UoH students held a protest against the Telangana government’s proposal to develop 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli here to develop IT Parks, besides condemning the recent statements of chief minister A Revanth Reddy in the Assembly on the issue.
The protesting students raised slogans against the police and an argument broke out, when they tried to burn the effigy. The protesters alleged they were manhandled during their peaceful protest and demanded the police to leave the campus.
“Despite attempts to snatch the effigy and suppress the protest, the Students’ Union successfully resisted and burned the government’s effigy,” a release from the UoHSU claimed. The University students had also held a protest on March 13 demanding the Telangana government to stop the reported auction.
Without naming BRS, Revanth Reddy had recently in the Assembly alleged that university students are provoked and PILs are filed in courts indirectly in the issue of planned development of a land parcel. Observing that the land is located at the Financial District in the city’s IT hub, he said the government’s endeavour is to promote investments, IT parks and generate employment on a large scale.
However, the University of Hyderabad administration is keeping mum on the issue.
