In a dramatic escalation of tensions at the University of Hyderabad, two students—Erram Naveen, a PhD scholar in political science, and Rohit Bondugula, an IoE postdoctoral fellow—remain in police custody following widespread protests against the Telangana government’s plan to auction off 400 acres of university land. The unrest began on March 30, 2025, when bulldozers arrived on campus around 2 pm to clear the eastern area, including a biodiverse forest and the ancient Mushroom Rocks, believed to be two billion years old. According to a statement from the University of Hyderabad Students’ Union (UoHSU), several students were detained by the Cyberabad police during the chaotic demonstration, with disturbing visuals showing security personnel, some dressed in army attire, dragging protesters into buses. The Gachibowli police later filed an FIR against Naveen and Bondugula under multiple sections of the BNS, including 329(3), 118(1), 132, 191(3), and 351(3), citing the intensity of the protest. The Students’ Union condemned the police action, calling it arbitrary, and announced plans to consult stakeholders to determine their next steps amid what they describe as a grave and sensitive situation.
The protests stem from a broader conflict over the Telangana government’s decision to sell the disputed 400-acre parcel, a move that has drawn sharp criticism for threatening the ecological and historical value of the university’s campus. A Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising the Students’ Union, Teachers’ Association, Workers Union, and Non-Teaching Employees Union, had previously formed to pursue legal challenges against the land auction, urging the university administration to take a firm stand. The arrival of JCBs and bulldozers on March 30 sparked immediate outrage, leading to clashes between students and police. In a related incident, South First journalist Sumit Jha, who was covering the protests, was briefly detained by the Cyberabad police alongside the students but was later released. The UoHSU has framed the police response as an overreach, arguing that the detentions and FIRs are an attempt to suppress dissent over what they call a “brazen green murder” of Hyderabad’s western lung space, a sentiment echoed by critics who highlight the area’s biodiversity and the presence of peacocks now disrupted by machinery.
Meanwhile, political pressure is mounting as BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) publicly challenged Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and a senior Congress member, to clarify his party’s stance on the issue. In an X post on March 31, KTR accused the ruling Congress government in Telangana of orchestrating the destruction of the 400 acres and called on Gandhi to speak out, warning, “If you don’t speak up now, it’s on you.” Accompanied by a video of the bulldozers at work and the sound of distressed peacocks, KTR’s post has amplified the controversy, framing it as both an environmental and political crisis. As the situation unfolds, the University of Hyderabad remains a flashpoint, with students, faculty, and political figures rallying against the land clearance, while the detained students’ fate hangs in the balance amid ongoing consultations and a polarized public debate.
