Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad Students' Union (UoHSU) has announced an indefinite protest and class boycott starting Tuesday, demanding the removal of police personnel and earth-moving machinery deployed on the campus.

This move comes as part of growing tensions over the ongoing land dispute between the university and the Telangana state government.

UoHSU Vice President Akash urged both students and faculty to participate in the protest and support the boycott.

In a joint statement, the UoHSU, along with other student associations, accused the university administration of betraying students by facilitating land clearing activities for the state government on a 400-acre plot of land at Kancha Gachibowli, adjacent to the university. They also condemned the police's "brutal crackdown" on peaceful protesters.

The protesting students are demanding a written assurance from the university that the land will be officially registered under the institution's ownership. Additionally, they have called for the public release of the minutes from an Executive Committee meeting concerning the issue and for greater transparency regarding the land-related documents.

A delegation of BJP legislators, led by party floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, is scheduled to visit the site on Tuesday, but police have reportedly prevented the group from leaving their residences, raising further tensions. Reddy claimed that he was not given any notice or explanation for the police action.

The Telangana government’s plans to develop IT infrastructure and other projects on the 400-acre land, which has become the focal point of student protests, have escalated. While the state government maintains that it owns the land, the University of Hyderabad Registrar issued a statement contradicting this claim, asserting that the boundaries of the disputed land had been finalised.

The state government has alleged that some political leaders and real estate groups are misleading students, and it reaffirmed that the land in question is not forest land. The Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) stated on Monday that it had legally proven its ownership of the land in court and that the university has no claim to it.

Tensions reached a peak when student groups and environmental activists gathered at the site to oppose the development plans, citing environmental conservation concerns. On Sunday, a protest by UoHSU students saw over 50 detained, though they were later released. According to police, a group of protesters attempted to disrupt the development work, throwing stones and attacking officials and workers with sticks, leading to the arrest of two individuals.

Meanwhile, the state government remains committed to sustainable development and environmental conservation, with plans for the area receiving top priority from Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s administration.

The ongoing dispute also saw the UoH's Registrar, Devesh Nigam, deny any official survey or demarcation of the 400 acres of land in 2024, contradicting the government’s claim that such a survey had been conducted with the university’s consent. Official sources, however, maintain that the land was handed over to the state government in 2004, further complicating the situation.

The controversy is expected to continue, with both sides standing firm on their positions regarding the ownership and intended development of the land.