Police seek to justify use of force on UoH campus

Hyderabad: “Students of University of Hyderabad raised slogans against the Vice-Chancellor. They raised slogans that they do not want to be silent, and wanted to be violent,” the Cyberabad police said in a report submitted to State Human Rights Commission on Monday.

The report further said that Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao had resumed his duties after a two-month leave. The students of UoH had opposed VC resuming his duties. The students in a violent mood, created ruckus by ransacking the VC’s official residence, pelting stones on the police and also attacked media, it said.

The police had to forcibly disperse the students near VC’s chamber and arrested 27 persons, including two professors on the charge of resorting to violence on the campus, the report sought to tell the SHRC.Following the arrests, some persons moved the SHRC, alleging that the policemen had misbehaved with the girl students and threatened to rape them.

In a response to the HRC summons, the Cyberabad police submitted the report, stating that on the day of incidence, the students had threatened to burry Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao. The slogans the students raised include “VC Bachke Kaha Jayega, Aaj Nahi Tho Kal Milega, Zinda Dafnayenge Tumko.”

“Only women police personnel were deployed to arrest the girl students. No male police were used to arrest the girl students. The entire police activity was videographed by the media and others. None of the girl students were kicked. Hence, the allegations made are baseless,” the report read.

The submission said the police had intervened to maintain law and order. The police entered the campus only after the varsity authorities requested their intervention. The police claimed that only minimum force was used to disperse the students.