Hyderabad University protest: 52 students detained as bulldozers roll in amid row over 400-acre land

HYDERABAD: Dozens of students from the University of Hyderabad (UOH) were detained by Cyberabad police on Sunday after they protested on the east campus near Mushroom Rock against the clearing of land, which is part of the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli.
One of the students said, "The police started arresting students arbitrarily and even stormed inside the academic spaces such as the School of Economics and others. Around 100 students were detained."
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According to students, as many as four earth movers were deployed amid heavy police deployment. "The university land belongs to the students, the community, and more than anyone—it belongs to the wildlife that thrives here. We demand an immediate halt to these actions, the release of detained students, and an open dialogue on the future of this land rather than forceful repression," said another student.
An official of Cyberabad police said protesting students were shifted to the different police stations — Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kollur and Raiduram. "We took 52 protesters into preventive custody as they were going towards the project site. They will be released in the night,'' a police official said. Police have also beefed up the security.
Police are contemplating to file criminal case against a few students who allegedly obstructed duties of TG Industrial Infrastructure Corporation officials besides assaulting cops.