The Hyderabad University students protested against the midnight inspection by the officials. The students gathered at the University alleging the wardens accompanied by the deputy chief wardens and other officials knocked their doors down late last night demanding for their ID cards.
The incident took place when students were randomly asked during the late night checking by the authorities at the campus hostels. One of the students said that the reason for the sudden check was to find unauthorized boarders. The students further state the authorities used unauthorized boarders as an excuse to harass the students by breaking down their doors at midnight.
The General Secretary of the Students’ Union Arif Ahmed said, “As the raids began, several students gathered in front of the hostel, raising slogans saying the authorities can’t intrude on the privacy of students and harass us. Even as we protested, the chief warden threatened us with disciplinary action, stating that we weren’t letting authorities perform their duty.”
A Student Federation of India (SFI) leader Kuldeep Singh Nagi along with Student Organization took part in the protest alleging the authorities for invading the privacy of the students at late hours. He said, “They are torturing students. It would have been great if they had shown the same concern for the problems students face in hostels. Instead, they are clicking photos of the students and warning them of disciplinary action.”
When asked about the midnight check, Chief Warden Vasuki Belavadi said that they conducted the surprise check based on the information given to them. He stated they received news of unauthorized people staying in the hostels causing inconvenience to the other students.
Mr. Belavadi also claimed that in an hour they caught 20 outsiders in the hostels and they were indulging in activities that are prohibited on campus. He further said, “Such checks happened at unusual hours to catch people unawares, and said they would continue conducting such checks.(sic.)”
