14 EFLU students detained for hunger-strike, released in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Fourteen students of English Foreign Language University (EFLU) were briefly taken into preventive custody by the Osmania University police Sunday evening when they were on a hunger strike near the campus entrance seeking its reopening.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a student said that they were on a 24-hour hunger strike with a demand to open the campus and the library. The demand was based on a survey conducted by EFLU students with a total of 845 respondents, in which 522 had said they were in urgent need of hostel accommodation.

"As per the administration's request, the students had submitted a detailed proposal seeking that students should be allowed to return to the campus considering that only 50 per cent of the students can be called back as per the UGC guidelines. Even after we submitted our proposal on February 18, the administration did not want to meet us and gave no follow-ups on the proposal,” said a representative of the EFLU students' action committee.

“Moreover, they released a circular about 'in-person classes' on February 18. We never demanded the resumption of in-person classes in the first place. We are only seeking hostel and other facilities which students need," the representative said.

On Sunday, around 5:30 pm, a team from Osmania University police, including women constables, arrived at the university gates and picked up the students for detention.

"They were blocking the road with their dharna and we had to detain them as their protest was affecting the election bandobast. We detained 14 students under preventive custody," said OU police inspector L. Ramesh Naik. They were all released after some time.