EFLU Hyderabad bars part-time student from entering campus

Ashfaque Ali, a part-time student at English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, has been barred from entering the campus stating that he is not a student of the varsity. Reacting to the arbitrary decision by the administration which has restricted his entry into the campus without giving any reason, Ali, who hails from Kerala, has alleged witch-hunting by the administration for being politically active on the campus.

“On Monday, while going for my classes, I was stopped at the gate by the security guards who wielded a look-out notice from the proctor, Prakash Kona Reddy, stating that I should not be allowed to enter the campus. The notice also had my photo taken from my friend’s Facebook account,” Ali told Newslaundry.

“When I was told I couldn’t enter the campus, I asked the security official to connect a call with proctor Reddy so I could know the reason behind the arbitrary restriction. Reddy refused to talk to me and told the guard that I was not a student of EFLU,” said Ali, who is just a month away from completing his course, Certificate of Proficiency in Persian. “When I insisted that I am a student and have to attend classes, the proctor reportedly said I could access the campus only for the two hours of my classes,” Ali, who passed out from EFLU after pursuing an undergraduate course in April 2017, added.

Affiliated with Student Islamic Organisation (SIO), he had participated in protests that followed the death of Rohith Vemula (2016) and the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed in 2017. Ali is also apprehensive about the administration withholding his BA certificates.

The proctor, however, maintained that Ali is not a student of the varsity. “He is an ex-student and that is why he has been denied entry,” Reddy told Newslaundry. When asked why he is not ready to talk to the student, Reddy said “there are certain procedures that he has to follow,” refusing to comment further.

This is not the first time that the university has landed in controversy for targeting students for being politically active. Last year, Kavyashree Raghunath and Manasi MS, members of Ambedkar Students Association at University of Hyderabad, were denied hall tickets by EFLU for allegedly participating in protests post the death of Vemula. Jalees Kodur, another student, was denied a hall ticket in 2016 for participating in the beef festival on campus.