Police at Matunga station in Mumbai lathicharged and beat up a group of supporters of the University of Hyderabad who had approached them about holding a demonstration at Dadar. Around 50 members of several organisations including Democratic Youth Federation of India, All India Youth Federation and All India Students Association were preventing from protesting in support of UoH students. Preeti Shekar, state secretary of DYFI, told Scroll.in that when the group approached police at Matunga station, many were beaten, and 17 people were detained. Sekar said they were also earlier prevented from holding demonstrations in support of Jawaharlal Nehru University students as well, and went to the station to submit a memo on them not being allowed to hold peaceful protests.

Sekar said some people were “badly beaten up”, and that police did not allow advocates and members of Left parties into the station to speak to the detainees. He also said police had not yet charged those detained.

The group were planning to protest against current events at the University of Hyderabad. The University is reportedly facing an “emergency-like situation” where electricity and water supply has been cut off in many parts of the campus, following student protests (pictured above) against the vice chancellor’s return last week. Vice chancellor Appa Rao Podile was forced to go on leave for two months, after he was accused of being involved in events that led to the suicide of Dalit PhD student Rohith Vemula. The National Human Rights Commission sent a notice to the university on human rights violations on campus.