Hyderabad: Several male students from Nizam College were detained on Wednesday afternoon after taking to the streets to demand a basic right – access to clean water. It should be recalled that inmates of the girls' hostel have been grappling with inadequate water supply for over a month now. The frustrated students resorted to a public plea, sitting on the road with empty buckets and jugs to drive home the dire conditions in which they were living.
"We were assured that the water supply issue would be resolved by the time the students return from dasara vacation. There is no sign of immediate solution even though we are through with diwali break and preparation holidays," a second year student told Deccan Chronicle.
Expressing solidarity with them, boys joined the protest demanding the college principal’s immediate response and follow up action.
The protest led to a traffic jam, prompting the police to intervene. Police officials cautioned the students that their demonstration was in violation of the model code of conduct that is in place.
The defiant students, however, maintained that they "were not protesting but demanding their rights." They were all rounded up.
Adding fuel to the fire, students said that Rs one lakh was allegedly charged to repair the water motor, which is yielding a meagre amount of water, a couple of weeks ago.
Another student expressed dismay that they had to hit the streets and said, "It's shameful that women have to come onto the roads to beg for water even to go to the washroom."
Another student said, "It will be a nightmare for those suffering from diarrhoea or are in their menstrual cycle."
The students lamented the manner the principal Prof. B Bhima was staying aloof.
"The principal has refused to meet us. He lives in a room that has a good AC but can't care for the basic water facilities here," said a third year student.
"We have a lot of other issues, including an unhygienic mess and poor quality food, among others. When we couldn't even relieve ourselves this morning, we decided that enough was enough,” she added.
Meanwhile, Prof. Bhima remained unavailable despite several attempts to contact him.
