The recent move by the INC government in Telangana to auction off 400 acres of land within the campus of the University of Hyderabad, has sparked off massive protests in the HCU campus.

Among many things – the INC’s constant adherence to neoliberal economic policies, the UOH Administration’s blatant disregard of broader sentiments of the students, and the disregard that capitalism shows towards ecological concerns – the move shows the blatant disregard that the ruling governments and classes for the concerns of the common people. It continues to see the students as customers, and university spaces as nothing more than money minting land plots.

Ecologically, Kancha Gachibowli is one of the last remaining urban forests in the vicinity and is critical to not only the University, but also for the broader community of workers and others who live around that. Mushroom Rock, which has become the central point of attention, has now begun to be used by the INC government as a bargaining chip, but then the Mushroom Rock just on its own never meant anything, but rather it was the total space around that rock which mattered to the students. It is an essential part of the UOH life that many have led, and many will lead in the future.

This needs to be seen not only as a ploy to attack biodiversity but also as a means of homogenization, where the unique characteristics that one associates with a particular university space is attacked with a view to further capitalist dehumanization of our educational spaces.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed out of the students, workers and teachers, is a positive step, and it needs to be ensured that the JAC does not back off until all the demands are met.

I could never climb the Mushroom Rock (well, I am unfit!), but I have many fond memories of the place, and I am sure all the alumni of the UOH will stand by the protesting students, teachers, and workers. #HandsOffUOH