The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has set up a committee to enquire into the allegations by the students’ union about certain students painting an old structure and installing saffron flags on the top to make it resemble like a temple on the day of Rama Navami, the university said in a press statement.
A stone structure inside the UoH was converted into a Ram temple on Sunday, 10 April, which raised concern among students.
While the students’ union has alleged that it was done by students associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), UoH registrar Devesh Nigam has denied the allegations of involvement of any students’ groups.
“It is a small structure that has existed since inception, and there were photos of some Hindu deities, too. On Ram Navami, one or two students went there and cleaned the place, painted it in saffron colour and installed saffron flags. However, they had not taken our permission. So a committee has been set up to enquire into the matter. Action will be taken as per its recommendations,” Nigam said.
The students had made a swastika symbol on the structure and had written ‘Om’. Nigam said the university has identified these students and found out that they were not associated with any group.
“Our university has a policy not to allow any permanent religious structure on the campus. But we allow celebration of religious functions. That day, we had allowed a group of students to celebrate Ram Navami in Gurubaksh Singh Maidan. That celebration was peaceful,” Nigam said.
A formation of rocks within the UoH campus across Men's Hostel F was seen painted in orange and red marks, along with portraits of the deities Ram and Hanuman under the rocks. Saffron flags were also erected and rituals were conducted at the site.
The presence of the temple caused concern among the student community, as it was being seen as an attempt to saffronise the campus and occupy the space as a Hindu site of worship with dubious claims.
(Published in arrangement with The News Minute.)
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