It clarified that the 13 March circular did not place a blanket ban on all agitations but was aimed at preventing any disruption in the university's day-to-day operations.
Published Mar 16, 2025 | 3:04 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 16, 2025 | 3:04 PM
OU circular prohibiting protests on campus
Synopsis: On 13 March, Osmania University issued a circular prohibiting protests and dharnas on campus. After facing criticism it issued a rejoinder saying that the 13 March circular did not place a blanket ban on all agitations but was aimed at preventing any disruption in the university’s day-to-day operations.
Osmania University in Hyderabad on Sunday, 16 March, issued a rejoinder to its 13 March circular that banned protests and demonstrations on campus.
The move comes after it faced criticism over the earlier circular. The university reiterated its commitment to safeguarding democratic values and constitutional rights. It further clarified that the 13 March circular did not place a blanket ban on all agitations but was aimed at preventing any disruption in the university’s day-to-day operations.
It stated that the university is working towards academic excellence. It emphasised that it was not the right to air grievances but underscoring structured and meaningful grievance redressal mechanisms.
Furthermore, it specified that the circular only applies to designated academic and administrative spaces.
On 13 March, Osmania University issued a circular prohibiting protests and dharnas on campus. The state-run university noted in the circular that college was meant for “facilitating learning in a conducive and peaceful environment”.
It added that there have been several instances where students or student groups have entered various buildings and disrupted classes in the name of demonstrations.
“These incidents are having an adverse effect on the smooth functioning of the University, leading to delays in administrative and academic progress. On certain occasions, these incidents also raised security issues and concerns,” it stated.
It prohibited, “trespassing, staging dharnas and agitations, and raising slogans,” alongside obstruction of official duty and the use of unparliamentary language against the staff.
They further threatened legal action against any offenders. It urged the students to raise grievances with the university directly with the administration.
Recently, the students of Godavari Hostel in the university took to the streets to protest finding a blade in their meal. The protestors demanded corrective measures after reportedly finding insects and objects in their meals for years.
On Sunday, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao issued a press note condemning the move. Calling it a direct attack on democracy, he questioned whether this was the “spirit of democracy” that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress professed.
“Is this the democratic right of protest that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress claimed to uphold? If Congress truly believed in democracy, why is it resorting to authoritarian measures to silence student voices?” he asked.
He further noted the hypocrisy, stating that the Congress is doing in Telangana, what the BJP does nationwide by impeding the university students’ right to protest. “Suppressing student voices is a clear symbol of dictatorship. The Congress government in Telangana is now revealing its true colours by curbing students’ fundamental right to protest,” Rama Rao noted.
“Osmania University, which played a crucial role in the Telangana movement, is now being turned into a prison under this oppressive rule,” he said. He reaffirmed that BRS would stand by students and fight against any attempt to suppress their voices.
BRS social media convener Krishank Manne, an Osmania University graduate, expressed similar dismay to South First.
“Even during the Telangana Movement, there was no official order to ban democratic protests. A land which was an epicentre for Telangana agitation and scores of social struggles for decades is now forced to remain silent because the Congress Government wants to impose restrictions on student activism as well as fair criticism,” he stated.
“Rahul Gandhi should answer if this is the Mohabbat ki Dukaan he campaigns about, flashing the red book of the Constitution across India. This is the duplicity and double standards of the Congress government led by (Chief Minister) Revanth (Reddy). BRS demands that the Circular be withdrawn,” he added.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
