After the Hyderabad Central University (HCU), also known as the University of Hyderabad (UoH), issued orders penalising students for holding protests, film screenings, and other events on the campus without prior permission from the varsity, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has launched a protest seeking cancellation of the orders.
Today, Saturday, April 27, marked the third day of ABVP’s protest against the order issued by the university penalising students for holding a religious programme on January 22, 2024, on the day of the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.
The official order, which EdexLive has access to, was issued on April 23 and it reads, “With reference to Chief Proctor's report cited at (1), the following students were found to have conducted a programme on 22.01.2024, under the students' body 'Sri Ram Utsav Samiti which has not been registered with the Dean Students' Welfare office, without obtaining prior permission from the University authorities.”
The order penalised four students from the ABVP with a fine of Rs 1,000 each for holding the programme on campus.
Reacting to the order, ABVP-HCU unit president Balakrishna alleged, “Today is the third day of our protest and we will continue until the authorities revoke the order. We also demand an apology from the authorities since it is an attack on the Hindu religion. No other student group has been penalised for holding a religious programme on campus. When UGC (University Grants Commission) and several education institutes gave half a day off on January 22 for the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony, why can't the students celebrate?”
Balakrishna further alleged that the student group had sought the authorities' permission to hold the event on campus and were also granted the same.
“On the day of temple inauguration, students got together and sang bhajans among other activities. It doesn't make any sense that after three months, the authorities suddenly decide to penalise the students. It is nothing but an unnecessary attack on students,” he said.
The ABVP student leader alleged that the HCU Registrar Prof Devesh Nigam has been continuously “targeting the student group and Hindu religion”.
However, it is important to note that the university has issued not just one, but 12 such official orders, based on recommendations by the Chief Proctor's Office for holding protests and other events on campus
As EdexLive reported earlier, a few of these orders were issued to the Left-backed student groups for holding a pro-Palestine demonstration on October 27, 2023, and also for screening the documentary Ram ke Naam on January 22, 2024 on campus.
