Casteist assault, Rs 5K fine: ASA calls out UoH’s ‘tokenism’ with hunger strike

The incident involves the physical assault and casteist abuse of Anuj, a student pursuing MA in Sociology, by a fellow student on December 11, 2025.

Hyderabad: Accusing the University of Hyderabad (UoH) administration of apathy over a caste discrimination incident against a Dalit postgraduate student on campus, the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) has announced a relay hunger strike that began at 3 pm on Tuesday, May 5, at the Administrative Building.

The incident involves the physical assault and casteist abuse of Anuj, a student pursuing MA in Sociology, by a fellow student on December 11, 2025.

In a statement, ASA said that despite Anuj lodging a complaint with university authorities the very next day, it took months for them to even acknowledge the matter. This delay is a violation of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) mandate requiring grievances to be redressed within three months, the association said.

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When action finally came, ASA said it amounted to little more than tokenism. The Anti-Discrimination Office imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the perpetrator and asked for a private apology. This, ASA pointed out, stands in stark contrast to the university’s track record of fining Dalit students up to Rs 10,000 for minor hostel infractions such as washing a bike on the premises.

Adding to the grievance, the perpetrator reportedly released a video calling on students to socially boycott Anuj from all university spaces, even after the complaint was filed.

“I was humiliated, beaten and hurled caste slurs. And even after I reported it, he put out a video asking everyone to boycott me. Do I not deserve this space?” Anuj said.

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ASA has also accused the administration of suppressing the fact-finding committee’s report on the incident, and demanded its immediate release along with that of the SC/ST liaison officer’s findings.

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