The Hyderabad University land protest intensified on Sunday as police detained several students who were demonstrating against the Telangana government’s alleged takeover of 400 acres of land on the eastern side of the university campus.
Earthmovers Arrive, Protests Escalate
The protest began when students noticed earthmoving equipment, including JCBs, operating in the disputed area. According to student representatives, the machinery was being used to clear land adjacent to the university. “JCBs are at the eastern side of the campus and they are clearing off the land,” one student said. The situation escalated as students demanded transparency regarding the state’s auction process and alleged encroachment into what they believe is forested university land.
Allegations of Misconduct and Detentions
One female protester alleged misconduct during the police crackdown. “We just wanted to know why they are razing the forest land. However, they resorted to forcefully detaining us and touched me inappropriately,” she claimed. While there has been no immediate response from police officials regarding the allegations, the detentions sparked criticism from civil society groups and student unions across the state.
University Denies Ownership of Disputed Land
The University of Hyderabad administration clarified that the area under dispute does not fall within the university’s legally allotted land. A spokesperson stated that while the students’ concerns are acknowledged, the land in question is not officially part of the campus. As of now, no official statement has been released by the Telangana government regarding the auction of the land or its intended use.
Tensions Continue Amid Land Dispute
The Hyderabad University land protest reflects growing student unrest over issues of environmental protection and land ownership. With claims of forest clearance, auction plans, and allegations of police misconduct, the incident has raised serious concerns among activists and education circles. All eyes are now on state authorities for an official clarification on the future of the disputed land.
Students Detained and Protests Escalate
On Sunday, March 30, 2025, several students of the University of Hyderabad were detained by Cyberabad police after they staged a protest on the East campus against the clearing of the land, part of the 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli, which is proposed for auction by the Telangana government to develop multi-infrastructure and IT parks. According to students, as many as eight earth movers were pressed into service amid heavy police deployment on Sunday. Upon hearing the news, scores of students reached the location shouting slogans against the government.
Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty stated that close to 50 students were taken into preventive custody. “They were taken into preventive custody for causing a lot of nuisance and obstructing TGIIC authorities from carrying on the work. Some of them have assaulted police and depending on circumstances we will be registering cases against some of them,” Mohanty told reporters.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy recently claimed that the protests were politically motivated and that “there are no tigers or deer in that area, but some cunning ‘foxes’ are trying to obstruct development.” He alleged that the Opposition was inciting student protests and filing PIL pleas to stall the project.
Students Claim Police Misconduct
Students claimed that police manhandled them and shoved them into police vans and trucks before moving them to undisclosed locations. “At least 100 protesters have been taken away. We were protesting peacefully inside our campus and police used brute force against students including female students,” a student said. Students were taken to the Raidurg and Madhapur police stations. After the protesting students were taken away, the rest of the students gathered near the campus main gate to continue the protest.
“Yesterday, we burnt the effigy of Revanth Reddy and now the authorities are under pressure to take up the work without any delay. They have not waited for demarcation of the land to happen. They have not waited for the next hearing (on April 7) of our PIL to declare Kancha Gachibowli a national park,” said another student, adding that the police locked the main university gate from outside, not allowing any movement or interaction with the media.
The Student Union Vice-President Akash Kumar from the Ambedkar Students Association said, “Even though Telangana government claims the ownership of the land, which we are legally contesting, no survey has been done to demarcate the land. They have brought in bulldozers and started illegally clearing the land. They barricaded the roads within the university. The police lathi-charged us, dragged and manhandled us. There were more police than the students. They have now locked up the university’s gates.”
Heavy Police Presence and Continued Resistance
A peaceful protest by students of the University of Hyderabad against the auctioning of 400 acres of campus land turned violent on Sunday morning, as police resorted to force, detaining over 50 students and allegedly manhandling several, including women. The Students’ Union, alongside the Joint Action Committee (JAC), condemned the police action as an attack on democratic rights and called for the immediate release of those detained.
The demonstration began after reports surfaced of police forces and eight JCB vehicles entering the East Campus to clear forest land in Kancha Gachibowli, an area slated for auction by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). The 400-acre parcel, rich in biodiversity and home to protected species like deer and star tortoises, has been a contentious issue since May 2024, when the Telangana High Court ruled it belonged to the state government.
The Congress-led state government, citing economic distress, recently handed the land—adjacent to Hyderabad’s financial district and valued for its real estate potential—to TGIIC for auction. Students, supported by the Teachers’ Union, Workers’ Union, and Non-Teaching Staff Union under the JAC banner, rallied to protect what they call a vital ecological and educational asset.
“This is an assault on public education and our environment,” said Nihad Sulaiman, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, who was among those reportedly manhandled by police. “At least 100 protesters have been detained. We were peacefully protesting inside our campus when the police used brute force against students, including female students,” a student told reporters.
Witnesses alleged that male officers attacked female students, tearing their clothes, while others were beaten on buses after detention. The protest escalated when police blocked access to the East Campus and began clearing the forest, prompting students to gather at the university’s main gate. They demanded a halt to the land clearing and the release of detained students, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The Students’ Union also raised concerns over the lack of proper demarcation of the land, noting that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the auction is pending in the Telangana High Court, rendering the current actions potentially illegal. The university administration has faced sharp criticism for its silence and apparent complicity.
“Instead of safeguarding students, security forces are aiding the police in suppressing our voices,” the Students’ Union said in a statement. Despite repeated appeals, no official response has been forthcoming from the administration. The land in question, part of the 2,300 acres originally allotted to UoH, has seen multiple encroachments over the years, including for the Gachibowli Stadium and a TSRTC bus depot.
The JAC argues that auctioning it to private entities threatens both the campus’s ecological integrity and the future of public education. As outrage grows, the Students’ Union has vowed to continue its resistance “legally and politically,” urging civil society, media, and the university community to join their fight.
Meanwhile, the heavy-handed police response has drawn widespread condemnation, with calls for accountability mounting across Hyderabad.
