In a press note shared with the media today, September 8, the Telangana State University Contractual Teachers Joint Action Committee (TS UCT JAC) said that they convened at Gun Park, which is in Lakdikapul, Hyderabad, alongside contract teachers, to pay homage to the Telangana martyrs and submit a representation for regularisation. Permission for this assembly was obtained from the police, they informed.
However, during the peaceful protest at Nizam College, Dr Velpula Kumar, a leader of the JAC, was arrested by the police under the guise of holding discussions, alleged the association in the press note. They also accused Prof Bhima Bhukya, the Principal of Nizam College of purportedly vacating the campus.
Furthermore, the press note mentions that faculty members from the University College of Science, Saifabad, who were already present at Gun Park, were also detained, followed by the alleged forceful arrest of 41 faculty members from Nizam College, Osmania University PG College Secunderabad, University College of Science, and Telangana Mahila Vishwavidyalaya. These included 10 women faculty members, the press note reveals.
Terming the arrests as “highly objectionable and illegal”, the JAC says that the government and authorities are resorting to such “shameful acts” instead of “regularising the contract assistant professors for the overall development and progress of higher education institutions, which is a high priority and genuine cause.”
The JAC then expresses its condemnation of the arrests. Appealing to the government to “initiate the regularization process immediately”, the committee states that its protest would continue until their posts have been regularised and that the movement “will be aggravated from Monday by all the universities in the Telangana state.”
The press note states that, among the arrested faculty members, held at Musheerabad police station, apart from the aforementioned Dr Vepula Kumar, are Dr E Upender Rai, Sravanthi Reddy, Dr Madavi, Dr Bhavani, Dr O Krishnaiah, Dr Yadaiah, Dr Shekar Reddy, Dr Mallesh, Dr M Ramesh, Dr Kondal, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Sunitha, Dr Naveen Reddy, Dr Sunith, Dr Chiranjeevi, Dr S Ravi, and Dr B Raju.
A recap of the movement
Over the past four months, there has been a tussle between the contractual assistant professors in all 12 state-run universities and the Telangana state government, over the regularisation of their positions.
In the press note, the JAC notes that the government had not been initiating the regularisation process, despite responding positively. As a result, after four months of peaceful agitation, and fulfilling their responsibilities alongside the protests, contractual assistant professors decided to intensify their agitation.
Since September 4, the teachers have embarked on a pen-down and chalk-down programme, effectively boycotting regular activities within their respective colleges.
