Medha Patkar denied entry into HCU campus

Hyderabad: Noted social activist Medha Patkar  was on Sunday prevented from entering the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus by the university security personnel.

"University security personnel, locked the main entrance gate and did not allow Patkar into the campus this evening," HCU Chief Security Officer T V Rao said.

On March 23, the university authorities had decided not to allow any outsider, including media persons and politicians, on the campus.

Addressing the students, who gathered on both sides of the gate, Patkar wondered why she was not being allowed to go inside the campus saying she was neither from media nor a politician.

"Aaj sabhi kisano ke jaise hatyaein ho rahi hain... aatmahatya nahi (farmers are being killed and are not committing suicide)...vaise hi Rohith ke bare main kahana padega (similarly it is to be said about Rohith)," she alleged.

She further said universities (in the country) are being made into battlegrounds which she opined was a very serious matter and said we need to fight this out.

On March 31, HCU security personnel had stopped entry of three Kerala MPs and social activist Teesta Setalvad into the campus and had also prevented Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav and others from entering the campus on April 1.

In a bid to intensify their on-going agitation demanding removal and arrest of HCU Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile (who resumed as VC on March 22), the varsity's Joint Action Committee for Social Justice has given a call for a protest march 'Chalo HCU' on April 6.

HCU is on the boil since January this year after research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide in the hostel campus.

Source: PTI