Students, police clash at Osmania University

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed on the Osmania University campus on Wednesday as students threw stones at the police personnel who halted their attempt to conduct a “Chalo Assembly” rally.

The incident occurred after another “Chalo Assembly” rally attempt by members of Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) for categorisation of the Scheduled Castes was thwarted by the police near the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday.

As a precautionary measure, over 70 MRPS protesters were taken into preventive custody.

In the Osmania University incident, placard-wielding students under the banner of the Telangana Vidyarthi Nirudyogula JAC marched in large numbers from the Arts College, shouting slogans demanding filling up of vacant positions in various departments of the Telangana government.

A police official said, “We were informed that a student JAC was also about to conduct a ‘Chalo Assembly’ rally from OU. When we reached OU and tried to contain them they started pelting stones at us. We detained some of the students who were instigating the mob and the situation was brought under control.”

Some JAC members alleged that the police entered hostels and arrested about 10 students. However, the police denied this.

The university witnessed scenes similar to those before the bifurcation as the road near the College of Engineering building was strewn with stones and cops in protective gear were deployed. The road passing through the Osmania University was blockaded for more than an hour at NCC gate and near the English and Foreign Languages University.

In view of the ongoing Budget session at the AP and Telangana Legislatures, the police has issued orders prohibiting any assembly, public meeting or procession that has the potential to cause disturbance to public peace and safety within a two-kilometre radius of the legislature buildings of both states.