Members of the Ambedkar Students’ Association demand that the report by the fact-finding committee be released and action taken accordingly.
New Delhi: Several students at the University of Hyderabad are protesting against the administration, accusing it of not taking appropriate action on an alleged incident of atrocity involving a Dalit student. The students have accused the university of downplaying the incident, as the administration has imposed only a Rs 5,000 fine on the accused student and did not release the findings of a fact-finding committee.
The incident occurred on 11 December 2025, when a second-year master’s student, Anuj Kumar, was allegedly assaulted and abused with casteist slurs by another student in the hostel during a fight. Members of the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) claimed the conflict began after a personal disagreement between the accused student and his friends escalated into violence.
“It is like they put a price on my dignity. And they didn’t inform me about anything regarding this matter. The incident happened in December, and we have been fighting since, but no appropriate action has been taken,” said Kumar.
The protest is being led by the ASA, which has issued a sharp statement alleging that the university had “put a price on the abuse of Dalit bodies — and it’s incredibly cheap”.
“Anuj tried to intervene when his friend was being beaten, and then he himself was assaulted and abused with casteist remarks,” said Bishnu Jain, a member of ASA.
Kumar alleged that he filed a formal complaint in December, but the university administration delayed action for months.
The accused student has also filed a ragging complaint against Kumar and the other student with the administration, which has led to parallel proceedings within the university.
‘Three punishment orders issued’
After continued protests, the university constituted a fact-finding committee headed by the Liaison Officer for SC/ST and anti-discrimination cell officials.
“The committee prepared a detailed report of more than 150 pages, but the administration has refused to make it public. Our demand is to make the report publicly available and punish the accused student accordingly,” said Kumar.
However, students allege that instead of releasing the report, the administration privately informed the accused student of a Rs 5,000 penalty and asked him to issue an apology.
“The administration did not even officially inform the complainant about the punishment,” Jain alleged, adding that the ASA sees the penalty as “grossly inadequate” for a case involving alleged caste violence.
“The committee has done detailed work. We want the report to be released and action to be taken according to its findings,” Kumar said.
On 4 May, ASA students announced a relay hunger strike outside the administration building.
A university functionary told ThePrint that the administration acted on the recommendations of statutory bodies, including the Anti-Discrimination Officer and the Equal Opportunity Cell, which reviewed the fact-finding committee’s report.
“It is not only Rs 5,000. There are three punishment orders issued. In two cases, he has been fined Rs 5,000, plus another Rs 5,000. He has been asked to submit an apology to the student, and if he doesn’t comply with all the directions, his degree will be withheld. He has also been asked not to apply for any University of Hyderabad course because he will not be admitted here,” said the functionary on the condition of anonymity.
Nootan Sharma
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
Courtesy : The Print
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