E-Paper
Journalist detained amid students' stir over bulldozers at Hyderabad university; BRS slams Telangana govt
A journalist was detained by Telangana government while covering protests against tree cutting at the University of Hyderabad.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao has hit out at the Congress-led state government in Telangana for its alleged role in detaining a journalist covering student protests at the University of Hyderabad. The protests were sparked by the controversial felling of forest land on the university campus and the auction of a 400-acre land parcel near the university.
KTR condemned the actions of the police and accused the state government of suppressing free speech.
"The draconian police overreach in Telangana is alarming. Journalists are being detained, and dissenting voices arrested. This blatant suppression of free speech and expression is unacceptable," KTR said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He also took a dig at the Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over the detention of the journalist and said that he goes to "town preaching about democracy and free speech".
The detained journalist, identified as Sumit, was reportedly covering the arrest of students protesting the cutting down of trees on the university campus. Sumit shared a video on social media showing his detention.
Reacting to this, BRS spokesperson Krishank pointed out that the Congress government had arrested a journalist simply for reporting on the protests, accusing the government of undermining the media's role in a democratic society.
Earlier, BRS MLA Kalvakuntla Sanjay also voiced concerns about the Congress-led government's ongoing legal actions against critics. He noted that the Congress party has been filing cases against anyone who questions its policies, calling the government "Dushman ki Dukaan" (Shop of the Enemy). Sanjay criticized the Congress for not responding to serious issues like the recent question paper leak but instead filing cases against opposition leaders like KTR.
Student protests over land auction
The protests at the University of Hyderabad started after earth-moving machines were brought onto the campus to clear a parcel of land, raising concerns over environmental damage. Students, fearing that this was the first step in auctioning the land, rushed to the site and attempted to prevent the machines from clearing the area. They climbed onto the machines, raised slogans against the police, and demanded that the bulldozers be stopped.
The police detained over 50 students during the protest, although they were later released. The Telangana government plans to develop the 400-acre land parcel near the university, located at Kancha Gachibowli, to create an IT park. However, several students and faculty members have expressed concerns that the development would destroy the area's ecological balance and infringe on the university's land.
The University of Hyderabad Students' Union (UoHSU) condemned the police action and the detention of students, accusing the police of using excessive force. The UoHSU claimed that the government had brought in earth movers to clear forest land in the university's East Campus, which they described as an attack on the environmental and territorial integrity of the university.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), a coalition of student unions, faculty, and workers' associations, has called for legal action to challenge the land auction and has urged the university administration to take a clear stand on the issue. Students have been organizing protests for weeks, and many of them are demanding that the land be registered in the university's name to prevent its sale.
