At least five FIRs have been registered against students across University campuses for protesting against the Telangana Congress government’s decision to call for bids to auction 400 acres of biodiverse land at Kancha Gachibowli for IT and infrastructure projects. This comes even as the Supreme Court has extended the Telangana High Court’s stay on tree clearing in the disputed land parcel, following protests by student and civil society groups.
TNM reviewed at least five FIRs filed against students involved in protests against the land auction. Three of them named students from the University of Hyderabad (UoH), while the other two included students from Osmania University, Satavahana University, Nalgonda University, Telangana University, Palamuru University, and other state universities.
TNM had earlier reported on an FIR against B Rohit Kumar and Erram Naveen, two former UoH students, who are currently in police custody. A complaint filed by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) led to the FIR against the duo at the Gachibowli Police Station. They have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 329(3) (criminal trespass), Section 121(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 132 (assault), Section 191(3) (rioting), and Section 351(3) (criminal intimidation).
Also Read: Two former University of Hyderabad students arrested over Kancha Gachibowli protest
In a second FIR, also registered by Gachibowli Police on March 30, 54 UoH students were named based on a complaint by Detective Inspector P Naresh. The FIR stated that the Inspector received credible information that some activists were “planning to stage a protest on campus against the government’s decision to auction off land in HCU [another common term used to refer to UoH], which may cause obstruction to normal public passage.” As such, “I along with my staff rushed there and took them into custody to prevent the commission of cognizable offenses,” the FIR further read. The report specifically named 54 students affiliated with various student organisations at UoH.
The police booked the students under Section 170 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offenses) of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers a police officer to arrest without a Magistrate’s order or a warrant if a cognisable offence appears imminent and cannot be otherwise prevented.
In a third FIR filed on April 3, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader Sidanth Shukla and 10 others have been named. According to the FIR, the JCBs and Hitachi vehicles—which were parked on the site following the Telangana High Court’s orders to temporarily halt demolition activities—were damaged by “filling sand in engines after break opening them with unknown objects.”
The FIR stated that drivers and owners identified UoH ABVP member Sidanth Shukla as one of those responsible, citing that he has been “protesting against 400 acres of land levelling since day one of their project got started,” and that he had a distinct appearance with his long “shaggy hair.” The report also noted that over 100 vehicles had been leased from various owners for the project, and that since the land levelling project belonged to the state government, all those vehicles were public property.
The FIR was registered under BNS Sections 329(3), 324(5) (mischief), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) read with Section 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), and Section 3 (intentional damage of public property) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.
A fourth FIR, also registered on April 3, named 59 students from Osmania University, Satavahana University, Palamuru University, and Telangana University for gathering outside “HCU University gate-II, without prior permission, creating a tense situation.” The FIR claimed that their intentions appeared to be “disruptive,” and “any delay in action may result in a breach of peace.” These students too have been booked under Section 170 of the BNSS.
In a fifth FIR registered the same day, UoH student Ayesha Hussain and 63 others from Telangana University, BR Ambedkar Open University, Kakatiya University, and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University were named for protesting near the Sarojini Naidu (SN) School of Arts at UoH.
“[The students’] presence and activities indicate a potential threat to public order, and if not taken action immediately, they may indulge in any cognizable offences, leading to a law-and-order problem,” read the FIR, registered based on a complaint by Gachibowli Sub Inspector of Police Venkateshwarlu. This FIR was also registered under Section 170 of the BNSS.