SHATTERING IMPACT: A police officer looking through broken windowpanes of the State Council for Higher Education office on Saturday. — Photo: P. V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: The lathicharge on the students of Sri Venkateswara University at Tirupati on Friday led to protests by various students unions on Saturday. Students in most of the colleges boycotted classes in response to the call given by the student organisations.

The Humayun Nagar police arrested two ABVP activists for allegedly damaging the windowpanes and some furniture at the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education office at Saifabad on Saturday.

Effigies burnt

The police resorted to mild caning to disperse the 50-odd ABVP workers who were staging a dharna before the office protesting the lathicharge on the SVU students that left 20 injured.

Besides ABVP, other organisations like Students Federation of India (SFI), Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU), All India Youth Federation (AIYF) activists also protested the lathicharge. They boycotted colleges and burnt effigies of the Higher Education Minister P. Venkateswara Rao near Old MLA Quarters.

Around 11.30 a.m on Saturday, the ABVP workers descended on the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education office and staged a dharna. They wanted to submit a representation to the Council Chairman C.K. Reddy. However, Mr. Reddy was not present as he was in Tirupati.

Cases booked

Later, the ABVP workers raised slogans and demanded an apology from the Council officials. When no official came out of the office, a few agitators ran inside the office and reportedly damaged the windowpanes and some furniture. The police then resorted to mild caning and dispersed them.

The police arrested P. Raju and K. Gopi, both ABVP workers and cases were booked against them under Sections 147, 149 and 427 of IPC.

"The indifferent attitude of the council officials angered some of our colleagues who damaged the window panes and some furniture. We just demanded that the officials condemn Friday's lathi-charge at Tirupati and apologise. But the police once again resorted to lathi-charge," the ABVP National Executive member R. Shashidhar said.

The agitators opposed the Government's move to implement the Honours and semester system at the degree level.

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