Student organisations protesting pending Telangana fee reimbursement dues and scholarships were stopped by police near the state Assembly in Hyderabad on Saturday, with activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Vibhagam taken into custody.
The protesters were seeking the release of outstanding fee reimbursement amounts and scholarships, as well as the withdrawal of Government Order No. 97. The order merges polytechnics with Young India Skills University, which was established under a public-private partnership, according to the report.
Several student organisations attempted to proceed towards the Assembly premises while raising slogans against the state government. Police intercepted the groups before they could enter and detained the participating ABVP and TRSV activists.
The protest brought together demands relating to both immediate financial support for students and the structure of technical education in the state. The organisations called for the government to clear pending fee reimbursement dues, release scholarships and resolve what they described as various unresolved student issues.
Fee reimbursement is intended to support eligible students by covering or offsetting education-related fees. Delays in such payments can affect the relationship between students, educational institutions and the state administration, although the report does not specify the total amount pending, the number of affected students or the duration of the delay.
The dispute over GO No. 97 adds an institutional dimension to the protest. The student organisations are demanding that the order be revoked, arguing that the merger of polytechnics with Young India Skills University requires reconsideration. The report does not provide the text of the order, details of its implementation or the government’s stated rationale for the merger.
TRSV president Ramu Yadav said the government was neglecting students’ problems. He also warned that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy would face a political cost for ignoring the demands. The statement was made in the context of the protest and was not accompanied in the report by a response from the Chief Minister’s Office or the state government.
The detentions occurred as student groups attempted to take their demands to the Assembly, the state’s principal legislative institution. The police action prevented the protesters from proceeding towards the premises, but the report does not state whether formal cases were registered, how many people were detained, whether anyone was released or whether the police issued a separate statement.
The immediate demands before the government are the clearance of pending fee reimbursement dues and scholarships, the withdrawal of GO No. 97 and action on the other student issues raised by the organisations. No official timeline for addressing the demands was provided in the report.
