K. Sumanth Reddy & Goutham Juttukonda
Democratic student elections in Universities have a long history. These elections ensured students’ representation in decision making bodies and offered a platform for students’ concerns and issues.
In Osmania University, democratic student union elections started in the 1950s and continued without a break till 1972. That year, the elections were suspended in the aftermath of the murder of PDSU founder George Reddy.
George Reddy’s murder raised much heat, following which the state government banned elections in the campus citing violence and radicalism as reasons. The ban was in place till 1977.
After the Emergency was lifted, student union elections were revived and were continued for another 10 years. During this period, K. Malla Reddy, Ayachitam Sridhar, K. Muthyam, S. Prabhakar Reddy, K. Yadav Reddy, Sudhakar, Shashidhar Reddy, Dashmanth Reddy, and Tula Rajender served as presidents.
In 1988, as preparations were being made for the election, there was a murder of a student in Nizam College. The victim was Devendar Yadav, a relative of a TDP leader. Following this incident, the N.T. Rama Rao government banned student union elections again.
Even today, after three decades have passed, the 1988 ban is still cited as the reason for not holding elections.
In 2015, the University Grants Commission asked universities to make arrangements for the student representative bodies. But the then Dean of UGC Affairs Prof. Ravindranath had reportedly said, “The government has to take a decision on it”. As there was a ban on student elections by the government, it has to be removed if the elections are to be conducted, was his point.
When all the Central Universities and most of the state universities are able to conduct student elections, the question is why can’t it be done in Osmania University. Recently Odisha CM announced student elections which were stopped just six years ago.
The official student representation ensures the government pays attention to student demands, thus getting more resources. Student union can also check the expenditure, participating in the policy making, build leadership skills, etc.
The demand for an elected student union has to come from all the students and the existing student organisations in the broader interests of the university.
It has been ten years since 2014 when Telangana state was formed, the people of Telangana recently voted for a change in government. This moment should spur a change in the government’s approach to the University elections as well.
All the University students have to be conscious of their rights because we get only what we demand and when we demand. This long forgotten demand has to see the light.
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