Demonstration of students against Telangana government.
Students of Hyderabad University (UOH) protested in the campus on Saturday (March 29) against the government’s decision to auction 400 acres of land in HCU Gachibovli. The protest started near the main gate between 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm. Around 30-40 students gathered with placards in their hands and raised slogans against the government’s decision. The Gachibovali police later tried to disperse him.
No student was taken into custody- police
Gachibovali Police Inspector Mohammad Habubullah Khan said that no student was taken into custody nor any case was registered. He confirmed that the protests ended peacefully shortly. Despite the intervention of the police, the student leaders have made up their mind to continue their agitation until the state government withdraws the auction scheme and officially register the land as a university.
Students burnt effigy of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy
The students had planned to intensify the protest by burning effigies of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who recently called the protesters “jackals”. However, several policemen already tried to stop the protest. Although the protesters succeeded in burning effigies despite the police intervention, the UOH Students Union alleged that students were assaulted and injured during the process. In a statement, the Students Union said that the Telangana government, rather than hearing the collective voice of students, employees, academics and environmentalists, intends to protect the land and its wildlife, suppressing the student protests using “cruel force” and making them “devils”.
What did CM Revanth Reddy say?
Rejecting the concerns raised by environmentalists and students on 26 March, CM Revanth Reddy said in the assembly, “There is no deer here, there is no tiger, but only ‘clever jackals’ that want to hindered the development of the state.” This remark of Revanth Reddy came two days after the statement made in the assembly by Telangana IT and Industry Minister D. Sridhar Babu, who is an alumnus of UOH, he said that he said that the state government would not capture any part of UOH land in Kancha Gachibovli and resolved to protect the lakes and rocks of the university.
Why are students protesting?
The university students have become furious against the government after the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) announced a plan to develop and auction the Kancha Gachibovali land, which returned to the state government after a long court battle last year. This land is a major real estate located in a part of the IT Corridor of Hyderabad, the area of the financial district. Students, residents and environment and climate activists are opposing the move. He says that this land section is an important carbon sink for the city, with various species of plants, birds and weak animals. They argue that auction of land for industrial or commercial use will damage the biodiversity of the area.
What is the demand of students?
Protests are going on, despite the government given the assurance that UOH land will be preserved. The students have expressed doubts, giving many such examples in which the land has been acquired by the government for other purposes. While the then Andhra Pradesh government had allocated 2,324 acres of land for the university campus in 1975, the Telangana High Court has seen in the past that there is no documentary evidence of land transfer. The student organization is demanding that the state government stop the land auction process, set up a review committee to study the biodiversity and ecological importance of the land, and provide legal rights to the University of Hyderabad on the land of the campus.
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