A controversy has emerged in Hyderabad after Muslim students of Shantiniketan Women’s College in Erragadda alleged that they were taken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s public meeting at Nizam College after being told they were attending a protest over scholarships.
The students said they were informed by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha volunteers that they were being taken to raise their concerns about a scholarship issue. On reaching the venue on Monday, they claimed they realised they had been brought to a large political rally instead.
The students said they felt frightened and unsafe because of the size of the crowd. Parents also alleged that the organisers had not clearly disclosed the nature of the event before taking the students there.
The controversy gained attention on Tuesday after a video showing the burqa-clad students at the rally circulated on social media. The video triggered criticism and raised questions about how the students were mobilised and whether they had been given accurate information about the destination and purpose of the gathering.
College principal Amba Ramaswamy said the management had also been informed that the students were being taken only to a scholarship-related protest. According to her, the organisers did not disclose that the destination was Amit Shah’s rally, leading the college management to believe it had also been misled.
Ramaswamy apologised to the students and their parents and expressed regret over the incident. The supplied report does not indicate whether the organisers named by the students have issued a response or whether any formal complaint has been filed.
