EFLU Suspends 14 Students Following NSUI and ABVP Clashes in Hyderabad

The English and Foreign Languages University administration on Thursday suspended 14 students following violent clashes between two student organisations on its campus in Hyderabad, which left several students injured.

According to university sources, the suspended individuals include seven students each from the National Students' Union of India and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad units at EFLU. They face charges of inciting violence and damaging official property on the campus premises.

The university administration has constituted an enquiry committee comprising four senior professors to investigate the incident. The committee has been directed to submit its findings within 10 days. The 14 students will remain suspended until the report is submitted. Additionally, one NSUI student has been instructed to vacate hostel accommodation on charges of bringing a Congress MLC onto the university campus.

Following the disciplinary action, the EFLU Students' Union staged a protest demanding that the university administration immediately revoke the suspensions. The union called for the formation of an independent enquiry committee to look into the incident.

The unrest began with a clash on August 14, stemming from an argument between ABVP and NSUI cadres during an ABVP demonstration outside a women's hostel a day earlier. The two student groups have traded accusations over the sequence of events.

The NSUI alleged that ABVP members used casteist slurs against a student and assaulted the EFLU Students' Union Vice-President. It further claimed that ABVP members attacked its cadres using sticks and glass bottles, causing injuries.

In contrast, the ABVP EFLU unit stated that on August 13, a hostel warden made rude remarks against two female students who sought permission to stay as inmates. ABVP members subsequently held a demonstration in support of the students, raising demands for improved hostel amenities such as clean washrooms and safe drinking water. The ABVP alleged that NSUI members disrupted the gathering with abusive language and later barged into the room of a BA student around 3 am on August 14, sparking the physical confrontation. The ABVP also stated that police arrested seven of its members while letting off NSUI cadres.