HYDERABAD: Students of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) have alleged that the varsity management has been trying to quell the protest that have erupted after the sexual assault of a female student came to light. They said police teams entered the campus at around 1 am in the wee hours of Friday and tried to detain the protesters.
A member of the student body said they had started the protest after being alerted about the incident at around 4 pm on Thursday. They marched to the proctor’s residence on the campus the following morning (Friday) demanding the identification of the offenders. The protests intensified and the students started demanding the resignation of vice-chancellor (V-C) E Suresh Kumar and the entire proctorial board.
Sources said Proctor T Samson addressed the students and informed the V-C pertaining to the incident. It is reported that the proctor had termed the incident as ‘something small' while also laughing at the cries of protesting students while the registrar was calling for the ‘open identification’ of the survivor.
The student body member added that police personnel tried to intimidate the students protesting at the campus on Friday at around 1 am. When a police team, including a lone woman constable, entered the premises and attempted to detain the students, they were met with chants of 'do not touch’, but the protests eventually subsided.
“The police personnel threatened to use force at first but resorted to beating and dragging male students for detention. However, they managed to escape with the help of other students. Many female students were also intimated by the police present at the site,” the student body member added.
No headway in investigation
While Osmania police have formed two teams to investigate the sexual assault case, the cops are yet to identify the two accused. Sources said that while there are CCTV cameras covering the areas adjacent to the crime spot, there is no footage of the offenders.