OU campus turns a battle ground
Hyderabad: The ‘Sakala Janula Samme’ which entered seventh day on Monday saw violent incidents as the police and students clashed with each other at Osmania University and Nizam College, which turned into a pitched battle between the two sides when the heavy police force present at these two places prevented the students from going towards the Secretariat in a rally.
The police fired tear-gas shells at Osmania University and resorted to lathi charge at Nizam College grounds. Many students were injured in the lathi-charge. According to Mr Nagam Janardhan Reddy, who visited the injured students at Osmania Hospital, the condition of four students was serious.
Two had suffered fractures on hands and legs, one student had head injury and the other suffered injuries on chest and back. He alleged that the police had swooped on the students, barged into the hostel rooms, broke furniture and unleashed a reign of terror by lathi-charging them in a “brutal manner.”
He said that he would lodge a complaint against the police high-handedness with the Human Rights Commission. The trouble started at 9.30 am when the students assembled in large numbers near Arts College of Osmania University and wanted to take out a rally to the Secretariat in support of their demand for separate T state.
They moved in a procession from the College grounds towards the NCC gateside of the University, shouting ‘Jai Telangana’ and anti-government slogans till past noon. Anticipating trouble, the police officials deployed a large number of personnel in riot gear, barricaded and blocked the gate. This resulted in a tussle between the students and the police.
It is said that someone from among the students first pelted stones and the police reacted by caning them leading to high tension and a pitched battle between the two sides.
As the situation did not come under control and the students appeared to be determined to go ahead with their rally, the police burst tear gas shells.
The students who had witnessed such police action in the past took precautionary measures like covering their face with hand kerchiefs but still could not bear the impact of the tear gas and had to retreat. A similar situation was also witnessed on the Tarnaka side of the OU. About seven students suffered severe injuries and a few police personnel were hurt in the incident.
Calm was restored for about 30 minutes around 3 pm with most of the students going back to their hostels. But later around 4.30 pm, the students made another attempt to take out the rally and came in a procession up to the NCC gate. Though tense situation prevailed, there was no clash with the police.
They burnt the effigy of the government and raised anti-government slogans. OU TRS Student JAC president Srinivas said that they were moving in a procession towards the Secretariat in a peaceful manner when the police lathi-charged them and used tear gas. MLC and educationist Chukka Ramaiah called on the students later.
Even as the OU students were involved in a pitched battle with the police, the students of Nizam College at Basheerbagh also wanted to take out a rally to the Secretariat. A large contingent of police personnel headed by DCP (central) Akun Sabharwal stopped them.
According to police, a group of students resorted to stone pelting on the police and attacked the cars which were parked near the college or were passing through the area. The police used batons against them and chased them into the college. Mr. Sabharwal said that about 30 students were arrested.
Six policemen were injured in the stone pelting and five cars were damaged, he added. But Telangana Political JAC chairman Kodandaram and Mr Janardhan Reddy said the police broke open the doors of hostel rooms and beat up the students severely. The students who were injured were identified as Mr Pawan, Mr Santosh, Mr Nagaraj, Mr Amar, Mr Vijay and Mr Anji.
Later in the evening, the OU students formed a human chain at Shivam Cross Roads demanding the release of the students who were arrested. The student wing of TRS said that rallied would be taken out on Tuesday in protest against the use of tear gas by the police at OU.
Prof Kodandaram called upon all the student organizations and others to organize rallies in protest against the lathi-charge on the students as well as the arrest of Singareni workers. [Hans India]