Ministers met civil society groups to discuss the Kancha Gachibowli land dispute. (X)
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, on Monday, 7 April, directed police officials to expedite the release of students and withdraw the cases filed against those involved in protests over the Kancha Gachibowli land issue, including those currently in judicial remand.
The decision followed a meeting at the State Secretariat between a three-member ministerial committee and representatives of the University of Hyderabad Teachers Association (UHTA) and civil society groups.
The committee, comprising Vikramarka, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, and Information Technology and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, said it would take a “sympathetic view” and “take necessary action in consultation with the Police and Law Departments to provide the best possible relief”.
An official statement that followed the meeting said the Law Department would assist the police to ensure the process proceeds without legal complications.
Prof Sowmya Dechamma, Prof Sriparna Das, and Prof Bhangya Bhukya from the University of Hyderabad Teachers Association, Vissa Kirankumar from the National Alliance of People’s Movements, V Sandhya and K Sajaya from the Women’s and Transgender Joint Action Committee (WTJAC), and Imran Siddiqui from the Centre for Wildlife Studies – India (CWS-India) were present at the meeting.
All India Congress Committee Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan and Congress Working Committee special invitee Vamshi Chand Reddy were also in attendance.
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Demand for police withdrawal
During the discussions, civil society groups demanded the immediate removal of police forces and prohibitory orders from the University of Hyderabad campus.
While the committee agreed to consider withdrawing police presence from the campus, it said forces would be retained in the 400-acre area at the centre of the dispute, in line with the recent Supreme Court directive to maintain status quo.
The ministers said they would write to the university administration expressing readiness to pull back police from the rest of the campus – provided the administration could ensure the safety of students and property.
The government also clarified it would not allow any surveys or activity in the 400-acre area until further orders from the court, in compliance with the Supreme Court order.
The committee further expressed willingness to visit the campus, as requested by students.
However, it said such a visit would not be possible at this time due to the ongoing legal proceedings. Instead, it invited students to meet the ministers and present their concerns and suggestions.
Meanwhile, civil society groups urged that expert faculty and researchers be allowed to “immediately conduct a damage assessment and biodiversity survey in the 400-acre Kancha Gachibowli land area prior to the visit of the Central Empowered Committee to the campus”.
The ministers were informed that the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of students had not attended the meeting, citing unmet demands.
Representatives said the University of Hyderabad Teachers Association and civil society groups would only continue consultations with the committee once those demands were addressed.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
