HYDERABAD: Students and faculty of Maheshwaram Government Medical College arrived to find the gates padlocked and the nameboard taken down on Tuesday. The college which was operating from the premises of Bharat Institute of Engineering and Technology in Rangareddy district, was abruptly shut by the building owner after the rent dues allegedly remained unpaid.

The issue was later resolved, with Principal Dr B. Triveni described it as a small misunderstanding that had been sorted out, and confirmed that the college was operating normally.

Medical college staff members said the building had lacked basic facilities even prior to this, and the closure further disrupted academic work.

Videos from the site, circulated widely on social media, showed locked doors and distressed faculty members. Bharat College management stated that they had no choice but to seal the premises after the institution failed to pay the rent.

A short clip also captured teachers pointing out that the infrastructure was substandard, making it difficult to conduct classes. “We were already struggling,” said one of the lecturers at the medical college, which began operations last academic year.

Social media users tagged public representatives, including health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and state BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and demanded intervention. The posts called for immediate action either to clear the dues or to relocate the college to a functional facility.

Opposition leaders blamed the government for the situation, with BRS MLA Sabitha Reddy criticising the Congress. In a post on social media, she tagged the Chief Minister’s office and wrote: “KCR had issued orders to establish the government medical college with `176 crores…Justice should be done to the students and people of the district.”