Hyderabad varsity union condemn fine on students

 Telangana | Written by : IANS Updated: Fri, Feb 21, 2020, 05:20 PM

Hyderabad, Feb 21 (IANS) University of Hyderabad Students Union on Friday condemned the imposition of fine on three students for organising a 'Shaheen Bagh Night' event on the campus and demanded that it be revoked.

Condemning what it calls the "autocratic and undemocratic attitude" of the administration, the Students Union demanded that the fine imposed on the students be withdrawn unconditionally. It also assured the student community that it will not bow down to the administration at any cost and will take any and every possible step to safeguard the democratic interests of the students.

The university Registrar has penalised three students for Rs 5,000 each for organising 'Shaheen Bagh Night' on January 31 after 9 p.m. and for painting and defacing the walls of the North Shopping Complex.

"Time and again, the university administration have issued various show-cause notices and circulars to impart a sense of fear among the student community," the union said in a statement.

The union said this was not limited to university administration but police also filed cases against 22 individuals and 200 others for doing a peaceful march on January 26.

The union assured the student community that this intimidation by the administration will not be successful in suppressing the voice of dissent and protest in the university campus.

It also made it clear that in the current national scenario, where "anti-constitutional and anti-people" laws are being passed in the country, universities cannot keep themselves in isolation. University spaces have always been a site of democratic dissent and protest since the national independence movement and will continue to be so in future also, they added.

"The intimidation tried by administration will not be able to force students to lock themselves up in their rooms and active resistance will be made every time administration tries to suppress the exercise of their democratic rights," the statement added.