The Acharya Nagarjuna University in Guntur has suspended four students from the hostels “for participation in anti-government activities.”
The state university’s action comes at a time when the IIT-Bombay cautioned its students to not indulge in anti-government activities and a Bidar school management is facing sedition charges, with a teacher and a parent arrested for a CAA-NRC-related play. Students, as young as nine, who acted in the play were reportedly questioned by the Karnataka police.
However, unlike the above cases, the ANU punishment is for taking part in the ongoing agitation in Guntur district against the Jaganmohan Reddy government’s plans to shift the executive capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.
The “Save Amaravati” agitation, on for over 45 days now, bears resemblance to the anti-CAA, NRC protests with locals, especially farmers of the 29 villages constituting the core capital area, holding rallies with Gandhi, Ambedkar portraits and waving the tricolor.
The state police has responded by effecting Section 144 of the CrPC and the National Security Act provisions, allowing preventive detentions.
“As per the orders of the Vice-Chancellor, the students are suspended from the university hostels with immediate effect for their participation in anti-government activities. They have participated in the anti-government activities of AP JAC for Amaravati. The issue is referred to the university disciplinary committee to seek explanation from the students and to decide the period of punishment,” said a letter from the chief warden Dr D Ramachandran.
The Amaravati JAC is an umbrella body of farmers, lawyers etc., professionals, students and others protesting the demotion of Amaravati from the sole, grand greenfield capital position.
The suspended students are two each from the departments of English and Journalism and Mass Communication.
“I am not sure when exactly their protest happened but from the photos we received, it appears the four sat on a dharna in front of the gate. They protested in the university premises without prior permission, in contravention of the university rules,” Dr Ramachandran told DH.
Activists and intellectuals denounced the university action.
“Jagan had, as the opposition leader, criticized such university action troubling a professor participating in special category status agitation. This selective suspension of four students - denying them food and stay – for joining a movement to keep Amaravati as the capital, is very unfair,” said Chalasani Srinivas, founding president of the Andhra Intellectuals Forum.