"Direct attack on democracy": KTR attacks Telangana government after Osmania University bans protests

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 16 (ANI): The Bharat Rashtra Samithi Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Sunday condemned the decision to ban protests at Osmania University, calling it a "direct attack on democracy."
Attacking the State's ruling Telangana Congress government, the BRS leader questioned whether this was the "spirit of democracy" that Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress had repeatedly spoken about while advocating for the right to protest.
"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?" KTR asked.
Slamming the Congress' double standards, KTR reminded the public that the party, during its election campaign, had promised the right to protest as part of its 'Seventh Guarantee.'
"However, in just over a year, the same Congress government had betrayed that promise by imposing restrictions on student protests," it added.
Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad.
KTR also pointed out the repeated instances of BJP-led Union and state governments cracking down on student movements in universities across the country.
He accused the Congress of following the same dictatorial approach in Telangana, proving that it was no different from the BJP when it came to suppressing dissent.
"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. 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 further criticized the government's misplaced priorities, highlighting that instead of addressing serious issues like contaminated food in university hostels, where students reporedly found insects and even razor blades in their meals recently, the Congress government was focused on crushing student dissent.
KTR warned that the Congress government's undemocratic actions would not go unchallenged and that students and people of Telangana would soon give a fitting response to its betrayal.
He reaffirmed that BRS would stand by students and fight against any attempt to suppress their voices.
In an internal document, Osmania University has prohibited agitations, dharnas and demonstrations within its departments, colleges, centres, and administrative buildings.
The University authorities said they have viewed the matter seriously and decided to prohibit trespassing, staging dharnas and agitations, raising slogans etc in the premises of the Departments/Colleges / Centres / Administrative Building of the varsity.
The University has also prohibited preventing administrative authorities and staff from discharging their official duties and using "unparliamentary and filthy language" against University staff and authorities.
As per an internal document of the University, they said it was observed 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 a wrong perception of the University to the Society. Such incidents, they said are causing adverse effect on the 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 further said that if any person is found involved in the above "activities, serious action will be initiated" against such person as per law.
The varsity also said that stakeholders (i.e., Students on rolls) with a genuine grievance in the University system, if any, may first approach the concerned Official at the institution level, and thereafter may represent to the Registrar and the authorities, with prior permission. (ANI)