Hyderabad anti-CAA protest: Police summons HCU students 8 months after lodging FIR, Congress protests

Nearly eight months after an anti-CAA protest took place in Hyderabad, the Telangana police has issued back-dated summons to at least five students of Hyderabad Central University (HCU) for taking part in the “anti-national” protest in connection with an FIR registered in February 2020.

The protest was organised by students of Hyderabad Central University along with the students of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU).

However, no student was aware of the FIR and they expressed shock over it. The registration of the FIR came to light only on October 10 when a student was served with summons by the police. Thereafter, one by one, five students have received such summons till the date.

The HCU coordination Committee – an umbrella body of various students’ organisations of Hyderabad Central University – condemned the police action and termed it as a “witch hunt”.

“We believe this is the only latest instance of intimidation and violence that the Central government has religiously been inflicting on the democratic fibre of the country,” said the HCU Committee.

Rejecting the charges levelled by the police, the students body said that the “the protest was peaceful and disciplined”.

The Hyderabad unit of the NSUI – the student organisation of the Congress party – has vowed to fight the cases “legally and politically”.

Meanwhile, several Congress leaders have come forward to support students. Some of them, including Kerala MP Ramya Haridas have written to Telengana Chief Minister K C Rao demanding quashing of the FIR.

Saying that “the FIR should be dispersed in order to protect the fundamental rights of the students to protest”, Haridas urged the CM to “intervene in the issue”.