Human Rights Forum, a collective of human rights activists from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, condemned the government’s decision to auction 400 acres in the survey number 25(P) of Kancha Gachibowli through the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC), and demanded that the government transfer the land back to the University of Hyderabad.
Reckless commercial exploitation of this land would severely damage the biodiversity and disrupt the academic environment, a statement from HRF read. Though the government had allocated part of the land to various institutions in the past, they were always meant for public and research oriented purposes. But, the Telangana government’s recent auction attempt contradicts this principle and disregards the environmental and academic need, it noted.
It termed the detention of the protesting students by the police and the destruction of the parts of land using earthmovers under police protection a blatant violation of democratic rights and alleged that serious charges were framed against two students, Naveen and Rohit, at the Gachibowli police station.
The Forum demanded a survey of the entire university and formal registration of the land under the UoH’s name. All students detained on March 30 should be released immediately, and all charges against them should be dropped. A biodiversity assessment must be carried out to protect the region’s ecological balance and historical significance, it demanded.
Published – March 31, 2025 08:12 pm IST