The student unrest on the campus of University of Hyderabad is taking new dimension with many non-political national personalities extending solidarity with the social justice moment of students. The central university located in the outskirts of Hyderabad city has now become the ideological battleground of contemporary Indian politics – rightist and the secular forces. Until recently, New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University JNU) used to the be the haven of secular and left student movements. As the JNU is located at National Capital, it has become first target of the rising rightists forces who are determined to dismantle the left bastion first. But little did they expect that HCU in Telangana would emerge as South Pole of growing social justice movement in India’s educational institutions.
With state government of Telangana toeing the line of union government, which is evident in the use of disproportionate police force, mostly male, to crush the student movement, the issue started attracting attention of global intellectual and national Human Rights activists. As the local Human Rights activists are still having a soft corner for TRS government and are hesitant to take a critical stand vis-à-vis police action of government , the students had to think of roping in activists such as Yogendra Yadav and Medha Patkar. Yadav,a noted social scientist, visited HCU last Thursday but was denied entry in to the university. Similarly, another activist Medha Patkar arrived here on Sunday, and had to address the students at the gate of university she was barred entering campus Sunday. She also demanded justice to ‘Rohit Vemula’.
The denial of entry into the campus failed to make much difference with regard to the impact Yogendra Yadav and Medha has had on the movement. Their arrival itself is enough to send a strong messages across that something is grossly amiss on the HCU campus. Entire world now has come to know that an emergency-like situation has been created on the campus with police posted at every corner. The vice chancellor is trying to have separate police station set up on the campus. The university is totally out of bounds for outsiders. Local media has no permission to enter the campus. Political leaders are barred . Intellectuals such as Yodendra Yadav , activists like Medha Patkar and students leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar of JNUSU are not welcome. Prohibitory orders, invoked in the wake of Kanhaiya Kumar’s visit in the thirds week March, have still been in force. The demand from all sections, students, rights activists, political parties is same- vice chancellor doesn’t enjoy the confidence of the agitating students.In the absence of confidence , the moves, initiated by vice chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile are unlikely to lead to resolution of the conflict.
On Monday students, with the support from Left Parties, took out a rally to the Raj Bhavan which led to a clash with Police. The police arrested senior CPI leaders such as K Narayana.
With centre viewing the issue as the creation of Congress and, ultra left and jihadi elements and the students targeting vice chancellor Appa Rao as the source of the trouble , there is little hope for the restoration of order on the campus.
