Hyderabad: EFLU students detained for protesting talk by Telangana RSS leader

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Twelve students, including six leaders of the Student Union belonging to Hyderabad’s English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), were placed in preventive detention on Wednesday, September 30. The students were protesting against a talk by Telangana RSS prant pracharak Lingam Sridhar at the university. 

A member of the student union told TNM that they staged a protest after the EFLU administration refused to revoke permission for the programme. The EFLU student union of parties, including Fraternity Movement and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), were protesting against a talk organised by another group on campus: Bhagat Singh Youth Club. 

The talk between 4:30 and 7:00 pm was organised under the banner of Yuva Sankalp: Empowering Youth for Nation Building. The Department of Russian Studies’ head of department Professor Satyabhan Singh Rajput, Vivekananda Youth Forum member Vinit Vaddepally and Telangana RSS prant pracharak Lingam Sridhar were scheduled to speak. 

At around 5 pm, the 12 students were detained and taken to Osmania University police station for protesting at the talk. The programme continued as per schedule following the detention.

“The protest was organised against permitting the RSS leader's talk inside the campus under the banner of RSS proxy organisation Bhagat Singh Youth Club. While the administration continues to deny permission for hosting renowned academicians, human rights activists and student leaders, they're facilitating RSS leaders, which is aimed at the saffronisation of education,” a statement from the student union read.

The students were released a few hours later.