Hyderabad University students search for food, caned
Food and water cans ordered from shops outside the campus were stopped at the gate by security personnel.
Hyderabad: As sources of food and water dried up at UoH on Wednesday due to mess facilities being shut down, students tried to cook food near the shopping complex.
The police allegedly beat up student leader Uday Bhanu and drove away other students who bought vegetables and other ingredients from the shops inside the campus. Bhanu suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Police officials from Gachibowli said that he was trying to cook food on the road inside the campus. No case has been registered against him. Food and water cans ordered from shops outside the campus were stopped at the gate by security personnel.
UoH cops stopped food supply
As the mess facilities in the UoH were shut down, the students were left to fend for themselves. “A few students brought some vegetables and ingredients from the shops inside the campus and were trying to cook food. Cops with lathis came and drove them away. They dragged Uday, beat him up and took him to the van,” said an MA student. “Few faculty members intervened and took him to the health centre, where the doctors said that he should be taken to a hospital,” said Mr Lakshminarayana, a faculty member from the Economics department.
Students who ordered food from outside could not get the food delivered. “Students from LH-3 ordered food from outside, but police did not let the delivery man inside. After about 24 hours of no food, we opened the mess ourselves, cleaned it and cooked food with whatever was available. We will continue to cook till our rations run out. After that, we have no idea what we are going to do,” said UoH student Vaikhari Aryat.
“There is a gross human rights violation going on on the campus right now. They (police) closed all canteens on the campus. We are living in the mercy of the gun and lathi,” said PhD scholar Dasari Haribabu.
Meanwhile, Lamakaan opened its kitchen for UoH hostellers. “Being 20 km away from the campus, we realise that this gesture may only serve a symbolic purpose. But we hope that others close by will take cue and act in solidarity,” said an official release from Lamakaan. At the Ladies Hostel and South Campus, too, students cooked food for themselves in the hostel mess.