One more meat festival in Osmania University raises students’ concern

Hyderabad: Students from the Banjara community will be holding a meat festival to showcase the food tradition of the community on 12 noon on December 10 at the Arts College on the Osmania University campus. The controversial beef and pork festivals will be held at the same time and the same venue.

Bati-Bhoti-Saloai is an important festival of the Banjara community, said J. Kalyan, chairman of the Banjara Students’ JAC and a BJYM leader. “We have invited the tribal minister, 12 tribal MLAs and a MLC, tribal intellectuals and students from all over the state,” he said. The organisers of the beef festival said the pork and Banjara festivals are being organised by the BJYM leaders to create trouble. Festival organisers Stalin and Krishna described the plan to hold the Banjara festival as an attempt to disrupt their event.

Previous beef festivals have  been marred by clashes between the students groups — particularly between the ABVP and the combine of Dalit and leftist student bodies. The first beef festival, organised in EFLU in May 2011, was forcibly stopped by the opposing student group.

In 2012, festival was conducted successfully thanks to police intervention, but later two vehicles were set on fire and some students who attended the festival were beaten up. Though the ABVP is officially not opposing the beef festival, BJYM leaders, who came from the ABVP ranks, are on the forefront in opposing the event.

No permission to conduct festivals, says varsity

OU said on Wednesday said permission would not be given to conduct the beef festival and gau pooja on campus. “The primary objective of the university is purely academic and research oriented. It is, therefore, informed to all the concerned including the  teachers, students and staff of the university that activities such as beef festival and gau pooja, which are unrelated to academics and research, will not be permitted on the campus. Cooperation is solicited in maintaining the academic environment and peace, in the larger interest of the student community,” an official release of the varsity said.

Cops yet to take decision on beef fest

Although a war of words is going on between BJP MLA Raja Singh and Osmania University students regarding the beef festival, the police is yet to take a decision on how to go about the issue. 

Senior officials say since the food festival does not violate any rules and it comes under the purview of varsity authorities, they cannot stop the event. However, the police will be alert and will take precautions to prevent violence. 

A senior police official from east zone said they will ‘wait and watch’ and take decisions accordingly. “We cannot stop the students from conducting the festival since the campus is under the purview of the university registrar.  We are examining the situation. But steps will be taken to ensure there is no violence in the campus on that day,”said the official. 

According to sources the cops might close the gates of OU barring entry to outsiders in order to prevent right wing protesters from entering the campus. There is also a move to discuss the issue with OU authorities.

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