Tension broke out at the University of Hyderabad after students protested against the Telangana government's plan to redevelop 400 acres of land next to their campus. The police tried to stop the protest, which led to a fight between them and the students. The opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), said that the police treated the students harshly, pulling them by their hair and hitting them.

Why are the students protesting?

The Telangana government plans to build an IT park on land near the university and may sell it to investors. Some students think this will damage the environment, so they protested against it.

The students said they noticed bulldozers and heavy machines arriving at the site and immediately rushed there to stop the work. They climbed onto the machines while shouting "go back" slogans. Videos from the scene showed police pulling students away and putting them into police vans. Some students were detained but later released.

The government, however, claimed the land does not belong to the university and is meant to attract investment. A university official also stated that the land has been owned by the government since 1974.

Political reactions and police response

The opposition BRS party strongly criticised the police action. They claimed bulldozers were brought under police protection, and when students protested, they were beaten with batons and dragged by their hair.

"Girls were crying that their clothes were torn, but they ignored them and took them to the police station. About 200 people were arrested," BRS alleged.

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BRS added, "This is a market of betrayal and not mohabbat ki dukaan (shop of love)." The phrase refers to a statement Gandhi made in his campaign against the BJP last year.

However, the police denied these allegations. They said only 53 students were detained for obstructing government officials. The police also claimed that some students attacked them and that legal action will be taken against them.

The university's student union condemned the police action, stating that their protest was peaceful. "The students have a democratic right to protest," they said, accusing the police of using force and detaining students unfairly.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy denied the students’ claims and alleged that they were being provoked by others. He said, "The land falls under the city’s IT hub and has no connection to the university."

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