The 'Chalo HCU' protest on Wednesday snowballed into a crisis with 40 protesting students from outside the university were detained by the police for blocking the road and raising slogans.
Trouble began in the morning, when groups of students surrounded the Vice Chancellor Podile Appa Rao's lodge in the campus where the 76th Academic Council meeting was scheduled to take place. Anticipating trouble, the police had set up two barricades but to no avail as dozens of students surrounded the lodge and raised slogans against him.
After nearly two hours of sloganeering, the students walked to the main entrance of the university where students other universities had assembled to protest against the continuation of Prof. Appa Rao as the Vice Chancellor.
The protests have been going on from January 17 when research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide. Prof. Rao had gone on leave following Vemula's death. A fresh round of protests erupted on March 22 when Prof. Rao returned to take charge.
Wednesday's Academic Council meeting saw stormy scenes before it began when Prof. Krishna, Controller of Examinations, quit his administrative position and walked out to show dissent against the continuation of Prof. Rao.
The Academic Council meeting is yet to begin.
