Hyderabad, November 30: Students of the Osmania University fought a pitched battle with policemen on the campus here today, protesting the thwarting of Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhara Rao from beginning his indefinite fast for statehood for Telangana in Siddipet.
A physiotherapy student and TRS activist is battling for life after he immolated himself at L B Nagar, while more than 25 OU students were injured and scores of others were taken into custody.
Sleuths of the Task Force, Quick Reaction Teams, AP Special Police and local police are keeping guard on campus to prevent any untoward incident.
At the university, trouble started when students set afire furniture in front of the Krishnaveni-B hostel protesting against Chandrasekhar Rao’s arrest. Police tried to disperse them but were subjected to heavy stone-throwing. The police initially ran for cover, but later stormed the hostel premises and caned the students mercilessly.
“Police entered the rooms of those who did not take part in the demonstration and even beat up physically challenged students. Nearly five policemen thrashed a single student ruthlessly,’’ alleged Raj Kumar, an MSc second-year student.
An applied mathematics student, Linga Swamy, and another student, Mangesh, suffered severe head injuries and were shifted to hospital. Nearly 15 students were injured in the lathicharge and three policemen hurt in stone-throwing.
Five students went up to the terrace threatening to jump demanding the release of the TRS chief Later, about 1000 students took out a rally to the NCC Gate but police blocked campus entry and exit points. The students then sought to attack the quarters of AP State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE) secretary Christopher but were dispersed by the police.
At the NCC Gate, police prevented students from coming out of the campus, fearing attacks on public property. Foiled, the students resorted to heavy stonethrowing again. They dispersed and took up position on either side of the road on the premises of Andhra Mahila Sabha and other department buildings, raining stones on the police from all sides.
The police finally managed to storm into the buildings, and again used excessive force. Some students fell unconscious and were shifted to hospital.
Undaunted, students once again assembled at the Krishnaveni hostel when news came in about the “death’’ of an injured student (Linga Swamy).
Raising slogans against police brutality, they once again resorted to brickbatting.
Anger abated somewhat when the police managed to convice them that the student who died was not the one who was hurt in a lathicharge but another who succumbed to convulsions.
“The dead student was K Venkayya Naik (24) of Warangal studying political science in the PG centre at Begumpet. He developed fits around 5:30 a.m and was shifted by 6:OO a.m. by his roommate to a hospital where he died,’’ City Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao said.
The last clashes of the day saw the students assembling at the Arts College even as another group attacked the administrative building and damaged furniture and window panes and burnt Vice-Chancellor Tirupathi Rao in effigy before the police rushed there.
Slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’, ‘Andhra police go back’ and ‘Down with police zulm’, rent the air. Under severe criticism, police had to withdraw from the campus in the evening. Meanwhile, at LB Nagar, TRS activists staging a dharna at the crossroads were taken into custody by the police. A physiotherapy student and TRS activist, K Srikanth (24), who lives there, set himself afire, demanding the release of the TRS chief.
He is being treated in a corporate hospital at DRDL where he is battling for life.
–Agencies