The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Osmania University (OU) wing organised a press meet on March 17, strongly protesting against the recent circular issued by the Vice-Chancellor, which the student body claims violates student rights.
The press conference saw the participation of prominent student leaders, including Osmania University President Dhruhan and General Secretary Shivshankar. During the event, they spoke about the historical significance of Osmania University, which played a pivotal role in the Vande Mataram movement and was at the forefront of the Telangana state formation struggle.
“Osmania University has always been a hub of progressive thought, teaching students not only education but also the ability to question and excel in every field. However, today the administration is suppressing the voices of students to hide its wrongdoings,” stated Dhruhan, the university president.
A circular issued by the Osmania University Registrar on March 13 announced a ban on protests and demonstrations within university premises, including departments, colleges, centres, and administrative buildings. The notice cited concerns over demonstrators allegedly trespassing, chanting slogans, obstructing university officials and staff from performing their duties, and using inappropriate language against them.
The student leaders urged the university management to focus on more pressing issues such as securing funding from the state government, improving faculty recruitment, providing adequate hostel facilities, regularising self-financed courses, and ensuring quality food for students. They criticised the current approach of silencing students instead of addressing the fundamental needs of the university’s growth.
— ABVP Telangana (@ABVPTelangana) March 16, 2025
“The lessons being imparted are not improving students’ lives, and the ethical values that Osmania University once stood for seem to be fading,” said Shivshankar, General Secretary.
The student leaders further warned that if the controversial circular was not revoked immediately, they would be forced to launch another protest. In an act of defiance, the ABVP leaders publicly burned the circular, marking a strong stance against the administration’s actions.
ఉస్మానియా యూనివర్సిటీ అధికారులు విడుదల చేసిన అప్రజాస్వామిక సర్క్యులర్ ను వెనక్కి తీసుకోవాలని ఎబివిపి బంద్ కీ పిలుపూనిస్తే అక్రమ అరెస్టులను చేయడాన్ని ఎబివిపి తీవ్రంగా ఖండిస్తుంది . pic.twitter.com/SwkqjWResQ
— ABVP Telangana (@ABVPTelangana) March 18, 2025
The event was attended by various student leaders and activists, including City Secretary Prudhvi Teja, National Executive Member Jeevan, State Joint Secretary Aliveliraju, and State Working Committee Member Kamal Suresh. The gathering also saw the participation of university student leaders Chiranjeevi, Rajasekhar Chetan, and several other students.
The ABVP has made it clear that they will continue to fight for student rights and demand a more student-centric approach from the university administration.
This circular is facing opposition from all student unions, including BRSV, the student wing of the BRS party.
Osmania University has played a pivotal role in revolutionary movements that shaped the nation’s history. One such significant event was the Vande Mataram movement of 1938, which took place on the eve of the Dussehra festival. During this time, students residing in the university hostels sang Vande Mataram, prompting the university authorities to issue warnings against them. In response, students like P. V. Narasimha Rao, Abid Hassan, Mohammed Hussain, Ansari, Mahadev Singh, and others stood in solidarity with the movement. National leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhas Chandra Bose extended their support through letters.
Decades later, Osmania University once again became a centre of political mobilisation during the 1969 Telangana agitation, where students played a key role in crystallising the demand for a separate Telangana state. The movement resurged in 2009, witnessing large-scale student protests across universities, often turning violent. After years of struggle, the demand was finally realised with the formation of Telangana in 2014.
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