Hyderabad, India – Students at the University of Hyderabad ended their eight-day protest on Saturday after the administration agreed to investigate a violent attack that took place on campus during the celebration of Rama Navami. The administration promised to deliver a report on the incident by April 30, leading to the decision to call off the protest.
The Students’ Union had been demanding a thorough investigation into an alleged planned attack by members of the ABVP against left-wing Student Federation of India (SFI) students and the Students’ Union president, Ateeq Ahmed. The incident, which took place on April 17, involved an ABVP member attacking a Muslim student associated with SFI, leading to further assaults by other ABVP members.
According to an SFI student leader, the attack stemmed from a previous incident where a Muslim student objected to a Hindutva pop song promoting communal hatred that was played at a departmental event. The attackers allegedly threatened the victim, likening his fate to that of Najeeb Ahmed, who went missing in 2016 after a clash with ABVP members at another university.
The SFI members claim that the perpetrators of the recent attack hold prominent positions within the ABVP, despite not attending classes in the past three semesters. The Student Federation of India has been calling for swift action against these individuals, claiming they have a history of violence on campus.
After the attack, students staged a sit-in protest, demanding accountability from the university. A committee was established to investigate the incident, but students continued to call for a more immediate inquiry.
Meanwhile, the All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) criticized the university administration for downplaying the attack as a mere “clash between two groups,” calling for urgent action to address the issue of student violence on campus. ALIFA urged the university to take a stance against such incidents and to not tolerate student misconduct.