On October 7, 2025, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) clashed with students at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) who were holding a protest in solidarity with Palestine. Police subsequently registered criminal charges against six protesters and three ABVP members.

The EFLU Students’ Union had organized a peaceful march on campus to protest Israeli aggression in Palestine. As the event ended, student members of the ABVP arrived, tore down posters, and initiated a verbal and physical confrontation. Police intervened to break up the clash.

The local police filed a First Information Report (FIR) naming six pro-Palestinian protesters and three ABVP students. The charges include promoting enmity and disharmony between different groups, unlawful assembly, assaulting or using criminal force against a public servant, and obstructing a public servant in the discharge of their official duties.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent clashes between student groups on campus. Scholars at Risk calls on all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid violence. Scholars at Risk is also concerned about the prosecution of students in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. State authorities must refrain from actions intended to restrict or punish the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly as long as such activities are carried out peacefully and responsibly.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/hyderabad/9-students-booked-scuffle-pro-palestine-protests-hyderabad-university-10295469/
https://www.thenewsminute.com/telangana/nine-eflu-students-booked-over-pro-palestine-protest-in-hyderabad