UoH unrest: Students protest as bulldozers move inside campus, police respond with force

Tense standoff at University of Hyderabad as police detain students, sparking protests and condemnation from Students' Union.

A tense standoff unfolded at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) on Sunday as Telangana police detained students inside the campus and restricted their movement. Barricades were set up at the east campus, where the School of Economics is located, preventing students from accessing the area. Gachibowli police said that around 50 students were detained as a preventive measure.

The incident is the latest in a series of confrontations over land disputes at UoH, which has seen repeated tensions between students and authorities.

Students alleged that earthmover machines had entered the east campus around 2.30 p.m. as part of an auction procedure, with authorities attempting to clear the land despite opposition. Videos from the scene showed students being forcibly taken away.

A student, speaking to The Hindu, described how the situation escalated. “Police started randomly detaining students around 3.30 p.m. Students standing far from the protests were also taken away in two buses and a truck. Some students were taken to Madhapur, some to Raidurgam police stations. We are now gathered at the main gate and have shifted the protest here as of Sunday evening.”

A video from the university showed a student saying they had rushed to the east campus upon receiving information that police had barricaded the area and brought in earth movers and bulldozers. “We just wanted to know what was happening there, but the police initially forcibly took six students, including girls,” the student said.

They dragged students into buses and took them to an unknown location, claimed Saurav, a student. “We were protesting near the helipad, where earthmovers were clearing the land and the mushroom rock, which is a heritage site. A large number of students had gathered when the police started detaining people. The police had locked it from the outside to stop the protest, but they were compelled to open it,” he said.

Meanwhile, advocate Rama Rao Immaneni has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the police officials involved in the crackdown. The NHRC has registered the complaint and is set to investigate the matter. The university administration has yet to issue an official statement on the developments.