Hyderabad: Students from a Polytechnic College in Ramanthapur, Hyderabad, on Thursday, September 10, staged a protest demanding the withdrawal of Government Order (GO) 97 that merges the Young India Skills University (YISU) with the college.
Telangana Police resorted to a lathi charge after the confrontation escalated. Videos from the site show officers in large numbers pushing and shoving students during the demonstration, leaving several injured.
Opposition parties alleged that the merger under GO 97 will privatise the college, inevitably triggering higher fees, scholarship losses, downfall of the State Board of Technical Education and Training, and loss of lateral entry engineering options for students.
They also claim that the move will further enable the Congress-led state government to auction prime land parcels originally set aside for polytechnic colleges. Polytechnic programs have long served as an accessible route for students from lower-income backgrounds, as it provides post-diploma employment and direct access to degree-level engineering courses through lateral entry.
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