Eleven students of the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad were taken into preventive custody after they allegedly protested against the visit of RSS Telangana State leader Lingam Sridhar to the university.
According to police, the students gathered near the New Academic Block while the university was hosting the “Yuva Sankalp - Empowering Youth for Nation Building” programme. The students allegedly raised slogans during the event, prompting police personnel to intervene.
The incident took place in the context of Sridhar being at the university for the programme. Police said they took the students into custody as a preventive measure to avoid any cognizable offence.
The action has brought attention to the interaction between student protests, campus programmes and law-and-order measures at educational institutions. Preventive custody is generally deployed by authorities when they think that an individual or group may be engaged in acts which cause a cognizable offence.
The police action was conducted by Osmania University Police, which has jurisdiction over the area. The officials said a case had been registered under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The students were detained after gathering near the New Academic Block and raising slogans, they said. Police said the move was to prevent any potential escalation but not just to respond to an offence that had already taken place.
11 EFLU Students Taken Into Preventive Custody Over RSS Leader’s Visit
— Sowmith Yakkati (@YakkatiSowmith) October 1, 2026
Eleven students were taken into preventive custody at #EFLU University in #Hyderabad while allegedly protesting against the visit of RSS Telangana State Leader Lingam Sridhar.
According to OU Police, the… pic.twitter.com/ys7EPk9jMj
The episode has also reflected on how politically sensitive public events with ideological or social organisations at universities are. Student groups at universities have traditionally protested and raised slogans to say no to visits, programmes or speakers. At the same time, police authorities can take preventive measures if they sense a disturbance in public order.
Details about the students' demands or what slogans were raised were not found in police records. It is also unclear from the information available whether the students were subsequently released or if any further legal proceedings were initiated following their detention.
The Yuva Sankalp - Empowering Youth for Nation Building programme was the backdrop to the incident; Sridhar’s presence was met with opposition by the group of students. The detention has so far caused debate amongst students in Hyderabad’s university community as to what is the best balance between giving the students an opportunity to dissent and the authorities’ duty to keep the peace on campus.
The registration of the case under Section 170 of the BNSS adds a legal dimension to the incident. Other developments, such as the university administration, the detained students or student organisations, could provide more insight into the protest and the police response.
But police have since described the custody as preventive, saying the students were taken into custody to prevent any possible cognizable offence during the programme.
