Hyderabad University land row: BRS alleges police presence at KTR's residence, says report

The Hyderabad police on Tuesday detained Payal Shankar, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Telangana, as he stepped out of the MLA Quarters in Hyderabad to visit Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and the disputed 400 acres of land.

Meanwhile, NDTV has reported that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) alleges police presence at KTR's residence.

BJP MLA Shankar came down heavily on the Congress-led State Government over a land dispute related to the alleged sale of 400 acres of land under the University of Hyderabad (UoH) in the city's Gachibowli area.

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BJP MLA noted that despite the land being owned by the government, it doesn't have the “power” to sell it and called for the withdrawal of the "thought" of selling the area.

"That 400 acres of land belongs to the government, but that doesn't mean the government has the power to sell it. Today, students and environmentalists are demanding 400 acres for the university, but why is the government not listening to them? The government can bring money from wherever it wants, but it cannot generate another land adjacent to the university. They should withdraw their thoughts of selling that 400 acres of land," the BJP MLA.

Earlier on Monday, the UoH issued a statement refuting the claims regarding the land demarcation survey on its campus in July 2024.

Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala said, “In 2024, after coming into power, in the month of March, we got an order from the court that this land can be taken by the state government. Since the land was vacant for 18-19 years and nobody was taking care of the land, trees grew there. Now, these political parties, including BRS and BJP, are trying to project it as if it is forest land. Yesterday, we gave all the documentation showing that this is state government property which has been given to the Industrial Development Corporation for development activities. I request the opposition parties to go on facts. Do not criticize the government or defame the Congress government in Telangana.”

In an official statement, the university clarified that it had neither agreed to nor been informed about any such survey for demarcating 400 acres of land. The administration dismissed the allegations as unfounded.

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According to the University, in response to the recent spread of misinformation in the media and by other individuals, the University of Hyderabad wishes to clarify that no survey was conducted in July 2024 by the revenue authorities on the University campus to demarcate the 400 acres of land resumed by the State Government in 2006 from Ms IMG Academies Bharata Pvt Ltd.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar slammed the Telangana state government's alleged plans to auction the 400 acres of land in Hyderabad's Kancha Gachibowli, alleging that it falls under a forest zone.

"The 400 acres of land that the state government planned to auction fall under the forest zone. As per Supreme Court rulings, no forest land can be cleared without the approval of the central government. A case regarding the 400 acres in Kancha Gachibowli is currently pending in the High Court. In a case filed by an NGO called Vata Foundation, the High Court directed the state government to submit a counter by April 7. The auctioning of these lands is not permissible," the release read.

Meanwhile, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday demanded an immediate halt to the sale of the 400 acres of land under the University and urged the government to stop tree-felling activities. This comes amid protests by multiple students against the government's decision regarding the land.

(With ANI inputs)