BREAKING | Hyderabad Central University 400 Acre Land Dispute: BJP Workers ‘Heckled’ by Police, MLAs Put Under House Arrest

Hyderabad: Amid the massive faceoff between the Telangana government led by Congress and the students of Hyderabad Central University over the ownership of 400 acres of land, BJP MLAs and party workers who attempted to visit the protesting students were stopped by the police. At least Three BJP MLAs were subsequently detained and placed under house arrest. Heavy police has been deployed at MLA complex. The BJP workers condemned police crackdown and alleged that they were pushed and heckled.

Tensions escalated at Hyderabad Central University as the students staged protests against the Telangana government’s alleged auctioning of 400 acres of land, claiming it as part of the university’s property. The demonstrations led to police intervention, with several students detained, triggering clashes on the campus. The protests reportedly intensified on Sunday after bulldozers were brought in to clear the disputed land. The student union has accused the Telangana government of land grabbing. Several protesting students were detained by Hyderabad police and were later released while two persons (not students) were arrested for allegedly provoking the mob, rioting, obstructing and attacking officials from performing their duties, police said.

‘Students Boycott Classes’

The University of Hyderabad Students' Union (UoHSU), has announced an indefinite protest and started to boycott of classes from Tuesday. They have demanded the removal of police officials and bulldozers from the disputed land. The UoHSU and other students' associations accused the university administration of ‘betraying’ students and condemned the ‘brutal police crackdown’ on peaceful protests.

Refuting the allegations levelled by student groups of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), the Telangana government said that it owns the 400 acres land and the students are being misled. On the other hand, the University of Hyderabad’s administration fueled controversy by denying the Telangana government’s claim of carrying out a joint land survey on campus to demarcate 400 acres of land for a proposed auction. The University’s Registrar also stated that the institution has been seeking land rights from the state government.

The 400 acres of disputed land at Kancha Gachibowli is planned to be used to set up IT park by the government of Telangana. According to the university students, the land includes the Mushroom Rock area near UoH's East Campus. The protesting students, who have launched an indefinite protest and boycotted the classes, have been demanding to stop the land auction plan and set up a committee to study the biodiversity of the area. They also want that  the University should be granted legal rights over the land adjoining its campus.

BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao has condemned the state government for its police action against University of Hyderabad students. He claimed that girl students protesting against the alleged land grabbing were beaten up and launched a sharp criticism for Congress. He also questioned the silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi . 

'Go On Facts…Don’t Defame Telangana Govt': Congress

Hitting out at the politics being played surrounding the land adjacent to the university campus, Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala said, “In 2024, after coming into power, in the month of March, we got an order from the court that this land can be taken by the state government. Since the land was vacant for 18-19 years and nobody was taking care of the land, trees were grown there. Now, these political parties, including BRS and BJP, are trying to project as if it is a forest land. Yesterday, we gave all the documentation showing that this is state government property which has given to the Industrial Development Corporation for development activities. I request the opposition parties to go on facts. Do not criticize the government or defame the Congress government in Telangana.”