Hyderabad: Tension broke out near the University of Hyderabad (UoH) when police stopped leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), from joining a protest. The leaders were trying to support students who are striking against the auction of 400 acres of university land.
The students have been on an indefinite strike since Tuesday. The CPI(M) leaders were not allowed to enter the university campus. They claimed the police used force and hit them with lathis when they tried to hold a peaceful protest.
The CPI(M) accused the police of suppressing anyone who questions the land auction. They also said that even people who support the protest are being attacked. The party leaders criticized Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, saying he has created an “undeclared emergency” in Telangana under the name of Indiramma Rajyam by cracking down on protests.
They also pointed to confusion in the government after the UoH Registrar revealed on Monday that no land survey had been conducted. Meanwhile, over 1,500 students, led by the Students Union, have shut down university activities. They are demanding that police leave the campus, the disputed land be officially registered under the university, and arrested students be released.
The Students Federation of India (SFI) also joined the protest. SFI State President RL Murthy and General Secretary T Nagaraju said the CM was misinformed in the state assembly. They accused the government of selling university land to corporations and using bulldozers to clear forests for the auction.
SFI leaders said student protesters tried to stop the bulldozers and were arrested without legal grounds. They also said police have pre-arrested 298 SFI members across the state since midnight to prevent further protests. The SFI strongly condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of all those taken into custody.
