Tension at Hyderabad University
Hyderabad witnessed tension at the University of Hyderabad yesterday after students clashed with police while protesting against the Telangana government’s plan to redevelop 400 acres of land adjacent to the campus. The state government intends to set up an IT park on the site and has proposed auctioning the land to attract investments. However, concerned about environmental impact, students staged demonstrations and climbed atop bulldozers while chanting “go back” slogans.
The situation escalated when the police allegedly dragged protesting students by their hair and detained several of them. Though the detained students were released later, the incident sparked a political row, with the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accusing the Congress-led government of brutality. The BRS claimed that around 200 students were arrested and alleged that female students were mishandled.
A video of the protest showed students raising “police raj murdabad” slogans. BRS leader K Chandrashekhar Rao criticized the Congress, accusing Rahul Gandhi’s government of betraying public trust and mocking his “mohabbat ki dukaan” (shop of love) slogan.
The police, however, denied the allegations, stating that only 53 students were taken into preventive custody for obstructing officials. They also claimed that some students assaulted police personnel, and cases will be filed against them.
The University of Hyderabad’s student union condemned the police action, asserting that the protest was peaceful and that students had the right to demonstrate democratically. The detained students have since been released.
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