Osmania University land stir hits petrol pump
Protests become regular as state ‘fails to act against encroachments’
Hyderabad: Osmania University students have been regularly agitating over the state government’s failure to take any action against encroachments on university lands and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s decision to construct houses for the poor on 11 acre of OU land.
On Tuesday, a group of students belonging to the Telangana Nirudyoga Vidyarthi JAC (TNVJAC) protested at the petrol pump beside the Tarnaka flyover, demanding that the pump be removed as it was built on OU land.
The protest turned violent after the police arrived and the students damaged property belonging to the petrol pump.
Sources said that some of the students, who were taken into preventive custody, suffered minor wounds while scuffling with the cops.
Chairman of TNVJAC Kalyan, said, “Twelve of us were taken into preventive custody by the police at the petrol pump. We were taken to the Bollarum police station. Cases under Section 151 have been booked against us at Lallaguda police station. We were released on personal bonds.”
He added, “It is unfortunate that the police officials do not let students raise their voice for genuine causes. The state government cannot use the police to muffle our voices. We will fight against encroachments on OU lands and see to it that the illegal occupations are removed.”
In an earlier such violent protest on Monday 17, students were taken into preventive custody while protesting against the Swagath Grand Hotel — owned by Jangaon TRS MLA Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy — in Habsiguda claiming that it was built on OU land. The students broke a glass pane in the ensuing violence.