Hyderabad University land row: Telangana govt to withdraw police, cases against students over Kancha Gachibowli dispute

Hyderabad University land row: The Telangana government has announced the withdrawal of cases against students and will remove the police force from the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus amid the ongoing dispute over 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli that borders the varsity campus.

However, the government declined to withdraw the forces from the 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli, according to media reports.

The Telangana government's decision came after a meeting of the three-member ministerial committee, which included Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers D Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, along with representatives from the UoH Teachers Association (UHTA) and various public organisations at the secretariat on Monday, stated reports.

Kancha Gachibowli row

The Kancha Gachibowli row gained national attention, prompting intervention from both the High Court and the Supreme Court after massive protests erupted at the University of Hyderabad (UoH), with students alleging they were ‘forcibly removed’.

Several viral videos also flooded the internet, showing crying peacocks and injured deer running away after being hit by bulldozers.

Why did the controversy erupt?

As per multiple reports, the 400 acres of land near Kancha Gachibowli in Hyderabad was cleared to make way for an IT park. According to PTI, the Telangana government planned to develop IT infrastructure and other facilities on this 400-acre plot.

The controversy erupted after University of Hyderabad (UoH) students protested against the bulldozing, claiming that it would lead to the loss of university land as well as the biodiversity of Hyderabad.

The chaos intensified after around 50 Hyderabad University students were detained during the protests against the felling of trees in the 400 acres of land near HCU. Cyberabad police officials claimed that the students assaulted the police officers.

400 acres belongs to Hyderabad University or Telangana govt?

The 400 acres of land reportedly includes the Mushroom Rock area within the University of Hyderabad, near its East Campus.

According to PTI, the Telangana government claimed that the land parcel belonged to it and not the varsity. However, the UoH Registrar issued a statement confirming that the boundary of the disputed land had been finalised, contradicting the government's assertion.

Earlier, the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) stated that it had proven its ownership of the land in court, asserting that the UoH (a Central university) does not own any part of the disputed land parcel.