What happened in University of Hyderabad yesterday

Amar Khade

The Chronology of the events that took place at University of Hyderabad on 22-03-2016

Date: 22-03-2016

Time: 08.40 am

Registrar’s Office, University of Hyderabad notifies “Prof.Appa Rao Podile, Vice-Chancellor, resumed the charge in the Forenoon of March 22, 2016” on the website of the University of Hyderabad.

Time: 09.00 am

The news of Prof.Appa Rao Podile resuming his post of V-C spreads in the social media network and then the student fraternity and the JAC start to convey message to their fellows to protest in front of the VC’s official residence. There was also message circulated that Prof.Appa Rao Podile was going to have a press conference at 11.30 am.

Time: 10.00 am

There was no internet access from the servers of University of Hyderabad. Students were not able to connect to internet via the WI-FI and other networks of University of Hyderabad. There was complete “Internet Access” blackout from 10 am onwards.

Time: 10.30 am

Communication sent by VC Appa Rao to his colleagues on the night of 21st, making it very clear how well-planned his return was

The student community and most prominent members of Joint Action Committee for Social Justice –UoH ( JACSJ-UoH) reached in front of the official residence of the VC. Members of JACSJ-UoH found out the most of the Non-Teaching Staff of the University and ABVP student members were already present in the Bungalow.

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Please also check the students’ own narratives on violence unleashed by the police and UoH administration yesterday on this YouTube Channel:

Justice for Rohith

The Non-Teaching Staff and ABVP student members blocked the way for the other students and JACSJ-UoH members from entering inside the Bungalow . ABVP students started resisting other students preventing them from entering and a scuffle started.

Meanwhile, the ABVP students purposefully ransacked the various items inside and smashed the window glass panes. After sensing the act of violence, the JACSJ-UoH and other students left the Bungalow corridor and then they assembled in the front lawn garden in the Bungalow premises. As soon as the JACSJ-UoH and other students left the inside corridor, ABVP student members started sloganeering “Appa Rao Zindabad, Appa Rao Zindabad”, “Bharat Mata ki Jai, Bharat Mata ki Jai”. There were counter slogans to these, “Arrest Appa Rao , Arrest Appa Rao”, “Justice for Rohith Vemula, Justice for Rohith Vemula”. JACSJ-UoH and other students sat in the lawn and started their “dharna”, that is protest in non-violent peaceful democratic way by raising slogans against the VC Appa Rao.The notable student member of ABVP in the whole scuffle was Gurajada Garikipati.

Time: 11.30 am

Police arrived in the campus. At the same time people associated with media also came into the Campus.

JACSJ-UoH and other students were protesting via their sitting dharnas in the lawn of VC Bungalow and slogans were raised to arrest Appa Rao. Meanwhile, two students were injured by ABVP and those were taken to the University Health Center. JACSJ-UoH and other students demanded that since Appa Rao is booked under PoA Act, so he cannot resume his services because an official inquiry is already under process by the MHRD. Meanwhile, the Non-Teaching members complained to the Police regarding the forceful entry of students into the Bunglow’s premises. But the version of the Private Security differs from this narrative of the Non-Teaching Staff Members. They also complained that JACSJ-UoH assaulted the Non -Teaching staff. During this whole process there was sloganeering of “Arrest Appa Rao, Arrest Appa Rao”.

Time: 12.30 pm

The contingent of RAF, and more Telangana Police personnel started to arrive at the spot. A student gives an account that nearly 4 trucks and 400 Police personnel were present. Meanwhile, some students were giving their whole account to some media persons in the campus. During this time, some prominent Police Officers of High Rank had a brief meeting with Appa Rao. After his meeting with Appa Rao, the same Police Officers met the protesting student representative and asked them to leave the premises. But still students continued their peaceful non-violent protest in forms of sloganeering. Then Appa Rao Podile sends SC/ST faculties to negotiate with the protesting students.

Time: 4.00 pm

Police started forceful eviction of the protesting students. Now some of the Faculty Members started to approach the Police regarding the way they were manhandling students but they too were Lathi-charged and the Police used force to disperse them. Now the whole Police Force started Lathi-charge on all the protesting students. Female students were manhandled by the male Police Personnel. A female Faculty member’s hair was pulled down and was molested by the Police Personnel. During this whole event, many students got injured and they were taken to the University Health Center.

Some of the students were forcefully detained and were dragged into the Police Van and were taken into custody. Some of the prominent Faculty Members – Prof. K. Y. Ratnam, Tathagata Sengupta, Lakshmi Narayana – were also taken into custody. Molestation of female students, , pulling of hair, pulling collars and shirts, kicking on the body, severe Lathi-charge, snatching mobile phones of students who were recording the event, searching of bags: all these were done by the Police Personnel. Very few Women Police Personal were present at the spot. There were many Police Personnel in Civil Dress who were beating up the students with Lathis.

There were examples of display of prejudices by Police Personnel towards some religious minorities students. Police asked a student’s name and when he said “Ajmal”, the Police instantly beat him up with Lathi and exclaimed “You Muslim Terrorist”

Meanwhile, the Registrar of the University declared “Shut down the Messes and the Water facilities, all this protesting students will come to sense”

During the forceful eviction and then Lathi charges, incidents of stone pelting were also noticed. The Police too indulged in the same act of stone pelting on the students. Some students and also police personnel got wounded in this.

Time: 6.00 pm

Dontha Prashanth and 36 other students are arrested and taken to Chanda Nagar and Cyberabad Police stations.Some students were severely wounded and were hospitalized. The Faculty members were also wounded in the Police Lathi-charge. Prof K Y Ratnam, Prof Lakshmi Narayana and Prof Tathagata Sengupta were taken to Chanda Nagar and Cyberabad Police Stations.

Time: 9.00 pm

Meanwhile the Messes have been shut down and the Non-Teaching Members are threatening the protesting students. There is a heavy contingent of Police presence in the campus. Police Personnel threaten some students that their future will be doomed if they carry out such kinds of protest again.

The above chronology was compiled after telephonic talks with the students present at the University of Hyderabad.

Identities of the students have not been disclosed due to security concerns.

Some Narratives of Students

Male Student:

“The case is in court everybody knows he is the main one in Rohiths death. So almost two months get over and again without informing anyone he is simply delivered notice and he came and occupied the seat and he started an executive Council meeting along with some students, executive Council meeting some professors and deans and Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor only. But what he did you know, he allowed some students inside his Bangala and what happened we came to know that we blocked the social sciences and library and we are starting here to shout the slogans. What happened you know some students are inside and they are also part of executive council meeting? It is highly unfair why because executive council meeting is even some professors are also not part of that one, only deans, Vice Chancellor and outside nominated persons of the President these are the members of the executive Council. But some life-science student and some related to some student wing I don’t want to mention that group. But some students are entered into, enter and sit in the Vice Chancellor Chamber. They have given the slogan against ‘Go-Back’ ‘Go-Back’ like this. They are also students we are also students. There in the sense some students, yes ABVP students only they are inside, they are inside, actually and they did another thing also. What happened you know back side glasses all are broken by that people only?

Once we did peaceful protest in University Every Indian Citizen knows that thing, but what happened again, provoking of students wantedly, they did this thing and they have started this executive council meeting also tomorrow there will be academic council meeting, we are going to stop the academic council tomorrow”

Female Student:

“University cut off our internet facility since forenoon. There’s no drinking water available in mess, no dining hall opened anymore and internet blackout too. This is going really well VC. You have got us starved, thirsty and alienated from reaching out to outside world! Around 30 students are arrested (we are yet to confirm the numbers even) and 3 faculty members are taken into custody along with them. Students say police were shouting ‘Muslims are terrorists’ while beating up students.

In other news, media people were busy reporting ‘vandalism by protesters’ that they didn’t find enough time to cover police hooligans beating up and molesting students and faculties alike! We condemn the malicious lie spread by media that protesters vandalized VC’s lodge. It was ABVP which barricaded VC’s lodge from rest of the students with furnitures and created unnecessary tensions shouting ‘bharat mata ki jai’ at us while protecting killer Appa Rao Podile. They were the ones who actually vandalized the place, thereby. Also, police did stop students who were filming their brutality, beat them up and even broke cameras. A police man in mufti was shouting rape threats at female students all the while beating them up.

Maturity police issues rape threats, makes racist and sexist comments at students and brutally attacks students and faculty members physically!

“Male police brutally grabbed, molested, tossed and beat female students and faculties alike. Female faculties were grabbed by their hair and dragged into vans. Male students were swept inside the van and were beaten without mercy. When I ran after them questioning that, police harassed me. They asked where I am from and when I told them its none of their business, they made a pass on my skin tone and threatened to teach me how to behave and tried to chase me away. They were doing the same to other students. They were rounding up stranded students and started chasing them beating.. Many of us are in health center and some are moved outside. 3 vans of students are arrested by now.

Shame on you VC for facilitating this violence against your own students!

“We got hold of the ‘action plan’ email that was sent out to faculties regarding ‘smuggling’ the killer VC back inside university of Hyderabad without letting its students know. What a shameful story! This is so shameful that it is actually sounding funny! We are sitting at VC’s lodge lawns, while Prashant reads out VC’s press release which is another joke! (It will be uploaded soon in JAC’s page) We condemn the ridiculous statements he made in the press release. In between, for demanding to arrest the killer VC with regard to the case filed against him, police call us immature! They do not even have the wisdom to understand what we are demanding is as per the constitution of India and the constitution of university of Hyderabad which Appa Rao Podile is actually violating .
Maturity police go back!

This university was functioning almost normally till the killer has returned! He is back to disrupt the academic activities of the entire campus now! We want the murderer out of the campus! We know he will try to avenge whoever protested against him and will try to destroy evidences.

Police are planning to move us from here meanwhile. We remain here still even if it means we remain without food or sleep! “

“Non teaching staff has decided to play along with killer VC’s tunes. They declared they are striking against students. All the messes in UoH are closed now. We are all here. Professors started joining us. Heavy police force deployed all over. They might lathi charge any moment. Since we believe in constitution, we appeal the police to arrest killer Appa Rao against whom the case has been charged under SC/ST atrocities act. Library is also closed. We are going for strike till he is arrested!
VC chamcha nahi sahenge!
ABVP sharam karo!
Killer VC down down! “