Telangana Tribal College Students Block Highway Over College Mismanagement

Hyderabad: Several girl students of Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Degree Women’s College in Shadnagar met with the college Principal Prof. Alleging large-scale irregularities and mismanagement by Shailaja, he blocked the National Highway in Shadnagar on Sunday morning.

The protest, which lasted more than three hours, was a result of allegations of corruption and mistreatment by the school’s principal, including charging exorbitant fees, poor quality food and harassment of students. The college, which is affiliated with the welfare department, educates more than 500 students, most of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Shadnagar police arrived on the spot and tried to disperse the students. They attempted to take several students into preventive detention, which resulted in a scuffle. Plainclothes police officer Jyotsna was allegedly dragged by her hair by students.

“They did not know that he was a police officer,” said Shadnagar ACP S Laxminarayana, adding that around 15 students had registered a case against his post. “As it was a protest by female students, we immediately deployed female staff. As it was a matter of immediate concern, she could not wear khaki and rushed to the scene. The police officer was only trying to calm them down when a misunderstanding occurred,” he said.

Students accused the principal of irregularities. A student said, “We didn’t even have salt in the kitchen, but the principal was selling everything outside.” “All the food we needed, like rice, oil, even chili powder, was taken away. We have videos and photos to prove it.”

Another student claimed that the administration only organizes good meals during inspections. “They only serve proper food when department officials visit. It’s all for the photo. The next day we come back for dal and a curry.”

Some students also claimed that the principal made threats and retaliation. “If anyone spoke against him, he would remove their names from the exam list,” said a senior student. “We kept quiet because we didn’t want to lose our grades and certificates.” Another said, “He didn’t even let us go home. He said if we left campus we would be suspended. We felt like prisoners, not students.”

Students claimed that they had to pay fees even though the institution was a state university. “We were told that education here was free, but the principal collected $3,000 for admission and even demanded up to Rs 1 lakh from married students,” one of them said, adding that repeated complaints to the authorities went unanswered.

While TGBIE Secretary Krishna Aditya visited the campus following the protest, TGSWREIS joint secretary Dr PSR Sharma said an internal investigation committee has been constituted to investigate the allegations. “For now, an official will deal with the university. Once the committee submits its report, necessary action will be taken against the principal,” he said.

Some students claimed that the police used force during the protest. Shadnagar ACP denied the allegation.