Telangana to withdraw cases booked against HCU students over land row

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed the police to withdraw the cases registered against the students.

He gave the directions during a meeting of the ministerial committee, comprising him, D. Sridhar Babu and P. Srinivasa Reddy, with the HCU Teachers' Association and civil society groups at the state Secretariat.

The Deputy Chief Minister asked the police to initiate measures to withdraw cases registered against two students who are in judicial custody. The officials of the Law Department were directed to take necessary steps to avoid any legal complications.

The three-member ministerial group constituted by the state government to resolve the issue relating to the land held a meeting, which was also attended by Congress state in-charge Meenakshi Natrajan and CWC special invitee Vamshichand Reddy.

HCU Teachers' Association and civil society groups brought certain demands of the students to the notice of the committee.

They demanded that the police force should be withdrawn from the HCU campus and prohibitory orders should be lifted. The demands included the withdrawal of all cases booked against students who participated in the protest and the immediate release of two students who are in judicial custody.

They also wanted permission to exert faculty and researchers to undertake damage assessment survey and gather biodiversity data at the land before the visit by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).

It was brought to the notice of the ministerial committee that students' Joint Action Committee did not turn up for the meeting due to a lack of response from the government to their demands.

After considering the demands of HCU Teachers' Association and representatives of civil society groups, the ministerial committee made it clear that police presence is required to protect 400 acres of land as per the orders of the Supreme Court.

On the demand for withdrawing the police force from the rest of the campus, the committee told them that the government would write a letter to HCU Vice-Chancellor. After Vice-Chancellor gives an assurance about the security of students and hostels, police force will be withdrawn from the campus except the 400-acre land.

The ministers also made it clear that keeping in view the order given by the Supreme Court and until further orders by the court, faculty, students, and others will not be allowed to survey 400-acre land.

The ministers also conveyed to the participants in the meeting that they are positive about the request by the students for them to visit the university.

However, to avoid any legal issues in view of the hearing of the case by the Supreme Court, the ministerial committee will not immediately visit the university. The panel made it clear that it is ready to hear the suggestions of the students.

Students, faculty and environmentalists had been protesting against clearing of the forested land by the state government for auctioning the same for establishment of IT parks.

The Supreme Court on April 3 took a serious view of tree-felling and directed the Telangana government to stop all developmental activities on the site till further orders.

A bench of Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice A. G. Masih issued the order after the Registrar of the Telangana High Court submitted a report after its order was passed in the morning.

The court observed that even if it's not forest land, the permission of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) should be taken to cut trees. It asked CEC to visit the site and submit a report by April 16.

The court also asked the state government to file an affidavit and posted the matter for further hearing on April 16.