There’s a battle underway between the authorities of Osmania University in Telangana, and the ‘non-boarders’ - the students who have overstayed after either finishing their course, or after discontinuing from the University - in the OU hostels.
The government run University is on a warpath against the non-boarders, and has been trying to evict them from the hostels since July 23. In a bid to evict the non-boarders and provide accommodation to the fresh batch, the administration resorted to shutting down power and water supply — affecting both the legitimate students and the non-boarders.
The administration had cut down power and water supply twice on Saturday — at 5 am, which was restored at 10.30 am, and snapped again at 10 pm.
The non-boarders though are refusing to give up their rooms, and with the help of OU students, conducted a ‘raasta roko’ on Saturday night.
They gathered on the thoroughfare, which is a main road connecting Tarnaka and Vijayanagar, and cooked dinner on the road.
Angered by the administration’s crackdown, over 50 students gathered and cooked food and had dinner by blocking the roads near the University library.
Some students also blocked the admissions office, and according to Deccan Chronicle, six such students were detained.
OU station house officer V Ashok Reddy told DC, “We did not interrupt the protest but these students had blocked the admission office and were disrupted the counselling process. It was a preventative arrest and the students were released soon after.”
The administration had given an ultimatum for the non-boarders to vacate the hostels by July 23. However, students backed by several unions and political outfits have been resisting the authorities for over two months now.
A similar eviction process is been carried out even in Kakatiya University, reports The Sunday Guardian.
Students suspect that this action by the authorities is being taken at the behest of the Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao.
According to reports, the CM wants to evict these non-boarders, who, have been ‘undermining his power.’
It must be noted that KCR was prevented from attending the university’s centenary celebrations, on April 26.
Anticipating huge protests and ruckus at the university, state police cautioned the CM against visiting the university.
The students of the two universities feel betrayed by the CM, who rose to power after successfully carving out the Telangana state from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Both students from Osmania and Kakatiya University played a major role in the agitation for a separate Telangana.
Speaking to The Times of India Vice- Chancellor, Osmania University, S Ramachandran said that the extreme measures of eviction have been yielding results. He said, “So far, hundreds of non-boarders have voluntarily vacated the rooms. Those in other hostels have been warned and are counselled by us to ensure that they vacate rooms at the earliest.”
The OU administration asserts that they are planning to even conduct raids, if the students fail to evict the hostel within 10-15 days.