HYDERABAD: Alleged acute water shortage during exam time prompted inmates of Osmania University hostels to confine an engineer in a toilet for a couple of hours on Tuesday. The agitating students, however, set the engineer Devidas free following assurance from the university authorities to set things right. Boarders of the E-1, E-2, D and Technology hostels had been facing severe water crisis for the past few days, so much so that even finding a couple of mugs of water for their daily ablutions was difficult.

Disruptive power supply and poor lighting facilities further frustrated them. The situation worsened with the commencement of semester exams of post-graduate courses on Monday, since the students had to literally fight even for drinking water. Inadequate water supply led to unhygienic conditions in the toilets. Around 1 p.m., some students rang up the university's engineering wing officials to apprise them of the situation. "Devidas didn't lift his mobile phone and we felt he was avoiding us," the students said. Some time later, a group of students went to the engineer's office and requested him to visit the hostels personally to take stock of the situation.

Taking the engineer around E-1 hostels, the students suddenly surrounded Mr. Devidas, pushed him into a toilet and bolted from outside. The university police rushed to the hostel but the agitating students refused to release the engineer. It was only after Dean of Students Welfare Laxmaiah came to the hostel and gave a patient hearing to the students did they set the engineer free.

No case was registered.

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