Girl students alleges sexual harassment by police on Hyderabad University campus

Hyderabad: With more victims from Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus coming out with details of police atrocities, woes for Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao seem to be increasing with each passing day.

Appa Rao, who appeared before the Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission on Saturday to reply to a notice on why a blockade was imposed on the university campus, has come under criticism from many other quarters including the faculty members and the alumni of the varsity.

Responding to the grave allegations of physical violence and sexual threats by policemen against the women on the campus Amnesty International has also come out in support of the protesting students and faculty members.

At the same time the National Human Rights Commission has also issued notices to Human Resources Development Ministry, Telangana government and the police commissioner asking them to submit their reports within a week.

Female students of HCU have shared details of alleged sexual and physical violence by the police with Amnesty International as well as through social media outlets.

Vaikhari Aryat, a student posted on Facebook: “Male police brutally grabbed, molested, tossed, and beat female students and faculties alike. Female faculties were grabbed by their hair and dragged into vans”.

Akshita Chitla, another student complained to Amnesty International India, “I was dragged outside from the VC’s lodge. Police told us not to behave like prostitutes and threatened us with rape. Most of my friends who were girls, were slapped and kicked by male and female police officers,” she alleged.

Referring to the allegations, the executive director of Amnesty International India, Akar Patel said, “allegations of sexual violence and threats by the cops to female students must be investigated and those responsible must be prosecuted”.

He also demanded immediate release of those arrested and said there should be an independent investigation into the excessive use of force by the police.

He said the protesters who can be legitimately charged for acts of vandalism can be prosecuted by proceedings which meet international fair trial standards.

But on the other hand the Cyberabad police was far from defensive and said it was looking for more students involved in Tuesday’s vandalism at the VC’s office. The police has named VC Appa Rao as an eye witness.

Apart from the 25 students already in jail, police has booked cases against another 20 students including many girls who claim they were not there at the spot when the incident occurred.

Many of the students named by the police have left the campus to avoid their arrests.

The Joint Action Committee for social justice, leading the agitation against Appa Rao alleged the list of the students was provided by the rival organisation ABVP, the student wing of the BJP.

The clash between the JAC and the ABVP was cited as the root cause of the trouble in the campus for the past several months leading to the suspension of five Dalit research scholars including Rohith Vemula.

Vemula committed suicide on January 17 leading to aggravating of the situation in the campus.