A section of students at the University of Hyderabad protested against author Neerja Madhav for her alleged remarks during a Hindi literature session on Tuesday. The Students' Federation of India (SFI) HCU unit claimed Madhav called homosexuality "unnatural" and blamed such communities for spreading diseases like AIDS. During the session, a queer student was singled out by Madhav. Video clips show students surrounding her vehicle as she exited campus, demanding an apology. The students and Madhav argued amid loud slogans. The School of Humanities and the queer collective Sexual and Gender Alliance called for a flash protest the same day. The Hindi department issued a statement saying Madhav was "solely responsible for the alleged statements she made" and had no connection to her views. The department promised to stop such incidents by conducting gender sensitisation classes soon. SFI noted a similar verbal attack on queer students had happened in the department last semester. After the incident, the department head assured collaboration with student representatives for the training. Madhav, a Nari Shakti Puraskar winner in 2021, has also endorsed media reports on the incident on her Facebook page. According to Amar Ujala, Madhav said during the Q&A session that "Homosexuality can be a mental need or a personal choice, but it is not the same as the issue of the third gender. Those belonging to the third gender live cursed lives due to a cruel twist of nature." She also questioned how many in the room had read the original Manusmriti and stressed the importance of studying it fully to criticise it. When asked about apologising, Madhav said, "Why should I apologise when I haven’t said anything wrong? It’s impossible for me to apologise. Everything I said is the truth. You may disagree." Her books include Yamdeep, about the lives of transgenders, Geshe Jampa, and Diary of 5-avarna female constable.