UoH students union begins relay hunger strike; demands to halt 'bulldozing of trees'

HYDERABAD: The University of Hyderabad Students Union on Thursday began a relay hunger strike against the Telangana government's plans to develop the 400-acre land parcel bordering the varsity land and set up an IT park there. The relay hunger strike was kicked off at the main gate of the varsity with the demand to stop the 'bulldozing of trees' on the site, removal of earth-moving machinery and withdrawal of policemen from the campus, UoHSU Vice President Akash Kumar said.

The boycott of classes is also continuing though it is voluntary, he said. The UoHSU and other unions and parties aligned with it have launched an indefinite protest and announced a boycott of classes from April 1 in support of their demands. The UoHSU representatives on Wednesday met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Delhi and sought the Ministry's urgent and immediate intervention to address alleged land encroachment at the UoH, also known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU).

Also read Tree felling: SC directs Telangana HC registrar to visit forest site, submit interim report

ABVP activists detained by police

Meanwhile, some activists of the ABVP were on Thursday detained by the police when they tried to hold a protest in front of the UoH. A member of the ABVP demanded that the government take back the decision to auction 400 acre of the land. Separately, the ABVP-affiliated students in the university began a sit-in protest, Sai Nishanth, one of them, said.

The student groups and environmental activists have voiced opposition to the proposal to undertake development work at the site, citing ecological conservation concerns. SFI, AISF and PDSU activists tried to hold a protest outside the state secretariat here on Thursday and they were taken away by police. BRS Working President K T Rama Rao on Thursday said that his party, when it comes to power, would set up an eco park in the 400 acres of land and preserve biodiversity.

"As soon as we come back into office, in a matter of couple of years, we will make the 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli into a largest eco park which will be accessible to the citizens and students of Hyderabad Central University. We will preserve biodiversity," he told reporters. He claimed that none should buy the land if auctioned by the government as his party would take back the land after coming to power.

Telangana HC directs to suspend work on land

The student groups' protests intensified on March 31 with the government maintaining that the land parcel belonged to it and not the varsity. However, the UoH Registrar contradicted the government's claim that the boundary of the land in question was finalised.

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to suspend all work on the 400-acre land parcel adjacent to the UoH, for a day. Meanwhile, Civil Society leaders on Wednesday condemned the Telangana government's "bulldozer" destruction of Kancha Gachibowli "urban forest" and demanded immediate withdrawal of bulldozer action on the site.

Human rights activist and former professor at the UoH G Haragopal, former Dean at UoH D Narasimha Reddy and social activist Kirankumar Vissa are among others who demanded complete protection of Kancha Gachibowli "biodiversity hotspot", and handing over the legal right to the University and that no auction of the land should happen.