Hyderabad’s EFLU student protest over Palestine erupts, police file FIR

Hyderabad: Tensions flared between student groups with opposing views on the Israel-Palestine conflict at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Tarnaka on Tuesday night. The heated standoff spiraled into a scuffle with police, leading to criminal charges against several students and an outsider.

According to Osmania University Sub-Inspector R. Jaya Chandar’s complaint, the incident began at about 8:00 PM when police received reports of a disturbance between two student groups on campus.

The police report states that around 100 to 150 students were divided into two groups. One group supported Palestine, and the other opposed it.

Police attempted to disperse the groups and requested them to leave the area. According to police, tensions increased around 9:30 PM with the arrival of Sagnik Mridul (22), a teacher trainer from Secunderabad.

The police complaint alleges that “Mridul started shouting slogans supporting Palestine, displaying a Palestine flag, and provoked the students, further escalating the situation.” This action reportedly incited the other student group, who then "tried to attack him."

Police intervention and alleged assault

As officers intervened to protect Mridul and control the crowd, the situation turned physical. The complaint states that some students "obstructed and pushed them, causing the complainant and some staff to fall." In the ensuing scuffle, SI Jaya Chandar reported losing his Fossil wristwatch and having the stars on his uniform torn off. With the arrival of additional police force, the situation was brought under control.

FIR registered under stringent sections

Based on the complaint, Osmania University Police registered a case under several serious and non-bailable charges: Section 132 BNS (abetment of assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from duty), Section 196 BNS (using a false claim of a public servant's authority to commit an offence), Section 221 BNS (intentional omission by a public servant to apprehend a person under a judicial decree or for a non-bailable offence), and Section 190 BNS (publicly asserting claims likely to encourage belief in unlawfully usurping sovereign power). The OU police booked a case, and the investigation is ongoing.