After Protests and Hunger Strike, Supreme Court Ruling Brings Relief to University of Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Days after protests and an alleged police lathicharge, students at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) erupted in celebration on Thursday after the Supreme Court ordered a halt to all developmental activities in Z.
Despite heavy rain, students gathered outside the main gate, singing songs against the government and celebrating what they called their first victory in the fight to protect university land.
Earlier, on Thursday, around 20 students, led by UoH Students’ Union general secretary Nihad Sulaiman, began a relay hunger strike, demanding an immediate stop to deforestation and the removal of bulldozers from the campus. Post the judgment, they ended the strike and said they will have to continue if the government does not pay heed to the SC’s ruling. They also called for the withdrawal of heavy police deployment near the university’s east campus.
Though the High Court had temporarily paused the project on Wednesday, students alleged that work had continued overnight. The Supreme Court’s intervention, however, put an indefinite halt to the process.
The students welcomed the verdict, urging the government to permanently allocate the land to UoH instead of selling it to corporates. They also demanded the withdrawal of cases filed against protesting students.
