Students protested against author Neerja Madhav’s comments at Hyderabad University on Thursday.
A section of Hyderabad University students, according to a statement issued by the “Students’ Federation of India HCU” unit on Thursday, condemned the alleged statements made by the speaker at a meeting organized by the Hindi Department.
Neerja Madhav, a famous author from Uttar Pradesh, according to an SFI statement, singled out a queer student during the session and said, “homosexuality is unnatural and such communities are responsible for the spread of diseases like AIDS.”
The alleged remarks were made on Tuesday when Ms. Madhav was the guest speaker at a session on Hindi literature and its various criticisms.
As seen in short video clips from the crime scene, Ms. Madhav was mugged in her vehicle while leaving the campus and students demanded an apology from her. Amid sloganeering, protesting students and the guest author were also seen involved in an altercation.
On the same day, the School of Humanities and queer collective Sexual and Gender Alliance called for a flash protest. Later, the ministry also issued a clarification saying that Ms. Madhav was “solely responsible for the alleged statements she made” and the department had nothing to do with it. The ministry will also take precautions to ensure that such incidents do not recur, it said.
Separately, the student body also noted that a similar incident in which several queer students were targeted and verbally assaulted took place in the same department last semester. After Tuesday’s incident, the head of the department was said to have assured that he would soon conduct the mandated gender sensitization courses in collaboration with student representatives from the board and council.
While Ms. Madhav could not be reached for comment, she supported reports of the incident as published by Hindi daily Amar Ujala on its Facebook page on Thursday.
Apart from the gherao reference, the report mentions that the controversy erupted after a question-and-answer session in which several students asked about homosexuality and its references in the Manusmriti, and thus the basis for its legal recognition.
“Homosexuality may be a mental need or a personal choice, but it is not the same as a third gender issue. Those who belong to the third gender live cursed lives due to the cruel twist of nature,” Ms. Madhav said. She also asked how many people in the auditorium had read the original Manusmriti and the importance of fully studying it – criticizing it.
“Why should I apologize when I didn’t say anything wrong? It’s impossible for me to apologize. Everything I said is true. You can disagree,” the report added, quoting her.
Ms. Madhav was the recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2021. Her works include Yamdeep on the daily life of transgender people and their social rejection, Geshe Jampa – a warrior from Tibet, and Diary of a 5-Avarna Constable, among others.
Published – 22 Jan 2026 20:43 IST
