Osmania University's ban on protests 'murder of democracy'; opposition hits out at Congress

NEW DELHI: Telangana’s Osmania University has decided to ban staging of dharnas and agitations, trespassing, raising of slogans, on the campus, after viewing the recent incidents of demonstrations as a wrong perception of the university, delay in academic progress, and compromise of security.

The public university has informed that a strict action will be taken against persons involved in the prohibited activities. In case, any student has a “genuine” grievance with the administration, he or she will have to contact the concerned official and may represent to the registrar with prior permission.

Calling itself a “reputed higher education institution”, the university said that it aims to facilitate learning in a “peaceful” environment and the student protests in various departments, centres, and buildings have been disrupting the administrative work.

“Osmania University is a highly reputed educational institution meant for facilitating learning in a conducive and peaceful environment. In recent times, it is observed that there are several incidents of students / student groups have been entering the departments / colleges centres / administrative building, Osmania University and staging demonstrations and dharnas resulting in disruption of the administrative work and giving wrong perception of the university to the society. These incidents are causing adverse effect on smooth functioning of the university leading to delay in administrative and academic progress. On certain occasions, these incidents also raised security issues and concerns,” the university said in an official circular.

The university authorities have viewed the matter seriously and decided to prohibit such activities on the premises. Among the banned activities are preventing administrative authorities staff from discharging their official duties and using “unparliamentary” and “filthy language” against the staff and authorities.

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Osmania University’s ban “murder of democracy”

Reacting to the ban, a member of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party, Krishank, questioned the democracy in the Congress-led state. “CM Revanth threatens in Assembly session to naked parade and attack Social Media users who would comment against Congress Government. Congress Government issues an Official Circular to ban democratic protests in Osmania University Campus. Democracy?” he said in a post on X.

Condemning the move, an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Nagpur alumni, Venugopal Goud Vemula wrote on X, “Shocking crackdown on democratic rights. Osmania University’s latest circular bans dharnas, agitations, and even raising slogans, silencing student voices. Is this academic excellence or authoritarian rule?”

Another BRS leader, KT Rama Rao called the decision “murder of democracy” in a long post on social media. Hitting out at the Congress government, “The Congress government, which had stalled six guarantees, also failed to secure the seventh guarantee within a year and a half. Issuing orders banning student protests on the Osmania University campus is a murder of democracy.”

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“The ultimatum issued to Osmania University students not to take to the streets to seek solutions to their problems is reminiscent of the Emergency days of Indira Gandhi's regime,” he remarked.

Condemning the action, he further said, “It is unfair to suppress students instead of ensuring that such atrocities do not happen again. Under no circumstances will such actions be tolerated, which suppress the voices of university students under a restrictive regime. If the Congress government does not change its tyrannical attitude towards the students of Osmania University, who played a key role in the Telangana movement, then the dictatorial regime will definitely learn a lesson.”