Violence at Osmania University, students begin fast

HYDERABAD: Osmania University turned a battleground on Monday in spite of a call for peaceful protest given by OU students' JAC members. While around 200 students started their indefinite hunger strike as planned in front of the historic Arts College building, around a thousand took to the campus roads shouting slogans and pelting stone at the police and paramilitary forces deployed at all the major entrances of the campus. The students have declared an educational bandh on July 13.

The trouble started on OU campus at 10.30am when 50 students of Telangana Vidyarthi Aikya Vedika tried to take out a bike rally to Raj Bhavan and was stopped by the police at NCC Gate on Vidyanagar side of the campus. The arrival of Telangana advocates to join the hunger strike around the same time increased the tension. The stand off that ensued this at the NCC gate continued for five hours.

Just one hour after the NCC violence, hundreds of students marched to the OU police station located near B-Hostel, demanding the release of advocates and students from other universities who were arrested on Monday morning for trying to enter the campus. The students claimed that police arrested thousands of their friends who wanted to join the hunger strike. With students barging into the police station several rounds of tear gas and stun grenades were fired by paramilitary forces who were stationed there.

In the stand-off about 12 students and four police personnel suffered minor injuries. Among those arrested by the police are top ten OU-JAC leaders and leader of Telangana Advocates' forum Jyothi Kiran. Students' JAC leaders said that they will continue their strike till the central government initiated the process of state formation. "We are expecting more number of students to join us in the coming days. The central and state governments should understand will see hundreds of students die on OU campus if they do not initiate the new state formation," said Manne Krishank, OU-JAC spokesperson.

Students said that arrested were made even before their counterparts from other districts could reach the campus. However, those who have gone on strike include students from Telangana University and Kakatiya University. The joint action committee members said that they had expected around 10,000 students to join them on the strike but with police arresting most of their friends, they couldn't match the figures. The students said that in the coming days they will conduct cultural festivals- Telangana Dhoom Dham on campus which will be attended by political JAC members including the resigned Telangana MLAs. "We will also conduct a Vanta Vaarpu" (cook and serve) on OU campus roads on Tuesday," said Tirumani Kondal, representative, OU-JAC.

Osmania University police, said that they will have to arrest students from other campuses who are already participating in the hunger strike on OU campus. The police said that these students managed to get inside the campus about one week ago when police checks were not conducted outside the campus. The students' representatives, however, said that they will not leave the campus as it is their democratic right to protest.