Hyderabad: The students of the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, on Wednesday held demonstrations at the Ambedkar Statue near Tank Bund, protesting the alleged unlawful restriction of Dalit PhD student, Koonal Duggal from EFLU premises and demanding action against the university proctor

Earlier, accusing him of trespassing and indulging in anti-national activities, the University Proctor, Prakash Kona had evicted Koonal from the EFLU premises.

Terming this as an unlawful act, the protesting ELFU students had approached the National Commission for Schedule Castes on Saturday. They filed a case against the proctor under SC ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and demanded his immediate arrest.

ELFU-Joint Action Committee (JAC) which was formed amidst these protests, condemned the anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar stance adopted by the university. It alleged that the university had not only actively disrupted the Ambedkar Jayanti programme, but also rejected the students petition to invite eminent Dalit and Ambedkar scholars and activists to address the students on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.

They also alleged that the university had taken down all the portraits of anti-caste movement leaders such as Ambedkar, Periyar, Jotiba Phule and Savitri Bai Phule from the library.

The university has however denied all these allegations.