Tension At Hyderabad University As Students Protest Bulldozers On Land Next To Campus
A political storm has broken out with the opposition BRS lashing out at the Congress government and alleging that the police were dragging the agitating students by their hair and beating them up
Hyderabad:
Strife broke out at Hyderabad University yesterday as the police charged into students in a protest over the Telangana government proposal to redevelop 400 acres of land next to their institution. This created a political dispute with opposition party BRS condemning the police as having dragged protesters by their hair and beaten them up.
Some students, who claimed bulldozers and earthmovers were taken as part of the redevelopment plan, were arrested but released subsequently.
The state government, which is set to establish an IT park along the land neighboring the varsity campus, reportedly floated a proposal to sell the land. Raising environmental issues, some of the students protested against the move and carried out demonstrations.
The government said its intention was to encourage investment within the state and that the land had nothing to do with the university. The students reported they rushed to the site after seeing bulldozers nearing there – they sat atop the heavy demolition equipment while shouting “go back” slogans. A group of students who were marching were also observed shouting “police raj murdabad” slogans.
Several videos demonstrated the police fighting with the students and forcing them into police vans.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), whose president was former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, claimed that dozens of bulldozers were taken to level the land under police escort and the students who resisted were beaten with batons and pulled by their hair.
“Gujarati girls were crying their clothes were being torn, but they did nothing and brought them to the police station. They arrested around 200 people. On Sunday when the police personnel began work on leveling 400 acres of the university land, they displayed such brutality on students who attempted to prevent them,” the opposition party stated.
Addressing Congress and Rahul Gandhi, it stated, “This is a market of betrayal and not mohabbat ki dukaan (shop of love)”. The expression is taken from Mr Gandhi’s famous dialogue which he used as a part of his campaign against the BJP in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections last year.
“The Congress’ ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ has now reached the Hyderabad Central University. Rahul Gandhi is roaming with a constitution in his hand and giving sermons while his government is doing just the opposite,” the BRS further stated.
The police stated, however, that just 53 students were taken into preventive custody for blocking government officials from performing their jobs. One of them even allegedly assaulted the police, an official claimed. Cases will be filed against them, he added.
Denouncing the police action, the students’ union of the university alleged that they had only organized a peaceful demonstration in the area. The students have a democratic right to protest, they asserted, accusing the police of coercive detentions and “manhandling” the students.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had previously refuted the students’ allegations and accused them of being provoked. He had stated the land belongs to the city’s IT hub and has nothing to do with the university. A university official also stated the ownership of the land has been with the government since 1974.
