Tensions prevailed at the University of Hyderabad on Sunday, March 30, as the police detained several students resisting the Telangana government’s plans to clear the 400-acre land adjoining the campus. Videos showed the students being manhandled and forcibly dragged into police vehicles. The detained students were taken to Raidurgam police station.
Earlier in the day, earth movers intended to clear land near Mushroom Rock were deployed on campus, according to students. Sensing protests, a large number of police personnel were called in. The police barricaded the east-side of the campus, preventing the students from halting the process.
The situation escalated quickly as the police detained the agitating students.
“A few students noticed earth movers being used near the Mushroom Rock to clear the ground. They were detained for enquiring about what was happening, since they feared this was related to the land the government plans to auction,” said Vennela Mocherla, president of the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA).
She alleged that some students suffered minor injuries and their clothes were torn as the police tried to detain them.
“More students gathered to protest their detention, many of whom were also picked up by the police. They manhandled students, because of which some students had their clothes torn and suffered minor injuries,” she alleged.
According to the protesting students, around 50 of them have been detained by the police, including Students’ Union general secretary Nihad Sulaiman and Students Federation of India unit president Lenin.
In retaliation, the students planned a demonstration outside the main gate of the campus. However, the police had locked the gate briefly.
The students were allowed to stage a sit-in protest in front of the main gate only after additional forces were deployed. TNM noticed at least five police vans were stationed outside the campus.
Speaking to TNM, Students’ Union president Umesh Ambedkar said, “They brought the earth movers during the long festival weekend knowing most students would have gone home. The way they were instantly prepared to detain students shows that they pre-planned this.”
Expressing lack of confidence in the Telangana government, he said, “We do not believe the government's claims that the rocks and lakes on campus will not be included in the auction. If that is the case, they should provide a clear layout with demarcation. The biodiversity of these lands is well documented.”
He further demanded the release of all the detained students. He said that the government should stall the land auction plan until a committee is formed to study its biodiversity.
Meanwhile, condemning the police action, Save City Forest – an organisation working to preserve the land, said the clearing of the forest while the case is being heard in the Telangana High Court was “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”
On March 24, the petitioner, Vata Foundation argued that the controversial land was a deemed forest with endangered animal species. They said that Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation’s land auction was being carried out in violation of environmental laws as no prior Environmental Impact Assessment and no Environmental Clearance had been obtained, they said.
The Telangana government was supposed to file a counter response by April 7. Until then the petitioners requested the government against any attempts to clear any trees or vegetation.