The Cyberabad police have arrested two former students of the University of Hyderabad, B Rohit Kumar and Erram Naveen, on charges including rioting and criminal trespass. The arrests follow an altercation on March 30 at a disputed site in Kancha Gachibowli, where students and others allegedly attempted to halt development work being carried out by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC).
According to police reports, the arrested individuals are affiliated with student unions ABVP and SFI. The duo has been remanded to judicial custody. Authorities claim that the protesting students resorted to violence, attacking officials and workers with sticks and stones. In the confrontation, an Assistant Commissioner of Police from the Madhapur Division sustained severe injuries to his knee and ankle.
In response to the protest, police took 53 individuals into preventive custody under Section 170 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). They were later released on personal bonds. However, following a complaint filed by TGIIC, a case was registered at the Gachibowli Police Station under multiple sections of the BNSS, 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).
Police have refuted allegations of using excessive force, stating that there was no lathi charge on students nor were any individuals dragged from their hostels, as some reports suggested.
Urging the students against heeding to “misleading” and “false news”, police advised the students to seek resolution of any issues through official channels of communication. “It is also informed that anyone disrupting law and order will be liable for action as per law,” they warned.