2 OU students say cops framed them

Hyderabad, July 8: A couple of Osmania University students arrested by city police alleged that though they were picked up at deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha’s residence in Jubilee Hills, police informed the court that they were part of the mob in OU campus.
The accused- K Mahesh and R Gangadhar informed the IV Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate that on Wednesday they went to the deputy CM’s residence to submit a memorandum but Jubilee Hills police picked them up. But police informed the court they were arrested at Manikeshwarnagar and shifted to the Osmania University police station. Police, however, said Mahesh and Gangadhar were among 38 persons arrested by the OU police on Wednesday.
All 38 students who were arrested for allegedly indulging in violence obtained bail on Thursday. Though police named 59 persons as accused, they declared 28 persons as absconding, which includes Pidamarthi Ravi, Blaki Suman and Rajaram Yadav.
Meanwhile, the OU campus remained largely peaceful on Thursday after two days of continuous violence, except a clash between police and students in the morning near the NCC gate. Students took out a rally to NCC gate and burnt the effigy of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. When some students pelted stones at police, police lobbed tear gas shells in return. But violence subsided within a few minutes, since there were few students agitating. In between, there was a ‘break’ of sorts when students tried to chase a few buffaloes on to police side to scare them. For sometime, the cattle got caught between students and police.
OU students said that preparations are being made for an indefinite hunger strike from July 11 by students in demand for a separate Telangana.

–Agencies