The student union of Hyderabad Central University (HCU, also known as University of Hyderabad - UoH) has been dissolved with immediate effect, as notified by an official notice by the Office of Dean (Students’ Welfare) dated October 15.
As per the notice, the decision has been taken as per the approval of Vice-Chancellor Prof BJ Rao. The notice further added that the election commission will conduct fresh polls for the student union for the academic year 2024-25.
In November 2023, a Students' Federation of India (SFI)-led alliance formed the student union at HCU after a clean sweep during the campus elections for the academic year 2023-24, with Mohommed Atiq Ahmed elected as the president.
Now, the student group says that the decision to dissolve the existing student union by the HCU administration is “undemocratic and autocratic” and has been taken without adhering to the official procedure.
It is crucial to note that the official term of the Students' Union, which was elected on November 11, 2023, has not been completed.
“The Union office bearers unequivocally rejected this directive and demanded that the guidelines laid out by the Lyngdoh Commission must be strictly adhered to in all circumstances. However, in blatant violation of the Commission guidelines, the administration has forced the electoral process in the absence of over 400 PhD student admissions and within less than two weeks of the UG admissions," the SFI HCU said in a statement.
“The Students' Union Constituion clearly states that the union has the rightful term of 1 year from the date of election results. The procedure to be followed in exceptional circumstances is ensuring student representation through a Caretaker Union. In the face of clear democratic and official guidelines the administration has decided to completely dissolve the Union, blatantly neglecting and stifling the will of the students and the voice of the office bearers and student organizations,” the statement added.
The student group has demanded that the notification be revoked.
