The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Big trouble in Osmania

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Friday, Dec 28, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Big trouble in Osmania

Staff Reporter

Agitating students demand suspension of Kachiguda ACP

-PHOTO : P. V. SIVAKUMAR

Campus jostlings: Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University Suleiman Siddiqui listens to students on Thursday who were allegedly beaten by rival student groups on the campus on Wednesday night.

HYDERABAD: Tension continued on Osmania University campus for the second day on Thursday as activists of different student associations, which attacked one another on Wednesday, staged demonstrations demanding action against their rivals.

While workers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) blocked the road near Engineering College, those of all other associations except the National Students Union of India (NSUI) staged a sit-in before the university administrative building.

The agitating students urged the university vice-chancellor Suleiman Siddiqui that the Kachiguda ACP B. Prabhakar Reddy be suspended accusing of failing to react when a student leader was attacked in his presence at the Osmania University police station on Wednesday night. Mr. Siddiqui assured the protestors that he would request the City Police Commissioner to look into the matter.

The East Zone DCP T. Prabhakar Rao admitted that Kumar was attacked at the police station but clarified that the ACP was not present there then. “On hearing about the student clashes, the entire force rushed to hostels. There were only a couple of constables and a home guard when the mob attacked Kumar,” the DCP explained.

The Osmania University police took into custody five students from each of the two groups in connection with the clashes. Cases under the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribes Act, attempt to murder and assault were booked against both the groups.

“Both the groups lodged complaints with similar contents. We are examining veracity of the complaints and involvement of those taken into custody,” Mr. Rao said. Seven cases, three against the ABVP and four against the remaining associations, were registered. Names of 28 youths figured in the complaints. The clashes on Wednesday divided the student associations in the campus into two groups. While the ABVP led one side, the All India Students Federation (AISF), Students Federation of India (SFI), Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU), Telugu Nadu Students Federation (TNSF), Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi (TRSV) and Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika the other. Trouble broke out on Wednesday night when two ABVP activists attacked an AISF worker at C hostel. Enraged AISF activists later allegedly assaulted the attackers and went to the police station to lodge a complaint when the ABVP workers again attacked them resulting in injuries to Srujan Kumar.

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