Hyderabad, April 11: It was the police, para-military forces and other units of the Andhra Pradesh police which provoked the Osmania University students and turned the campus into a battle zone through largescale deployment and use of force during the pro-Telangana agitation, a committee, which conducted a public hearing on `Police violence in Osmania University’ felt.
The committee, comprising various organisations, will submit its report on the matter within a month seeking stern action against the State police and other forces.
Hyderabad Forum for Telangana (HFT), Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC), Human Rights Forum (HRF), Telangana Lawyers Collective (TLC) and Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) jointly organised the public hearing on the campus Saturday.
Describing the situation then, Shilpa, OU political science student, said that the forces deliberately resorted to lathicharge when women students participated in the funeral procession of Venugopal Reddy, who ended his life for a separate Telangana.
“Without any provocation, police lobbed tear gas shells and pelted stones at us,’’ she said.
Osmania University Student Joint Action Committee (OUJAC) representative, Upender said he was taken into police custody twice only because he participated in `Dhoom-Dham’ programme, which was held at Chilkalguda.
“The police treated OU students as a terrorists and extremists while resorting to lathicharge and pelting stones,’’ he said.
After the committee heard the public opinion, the committee member, Susie Tharu told media persons that they would prepare a comprehensive report on the police violence in the OU and submit a report.
“Platoons of CRPF, RAF, CISF, APSP and Greyhounds were deployed in the campus in the name of containing unrest. There have been at least five instances of lathicharge, tear gas and firing rubber bullets on November 29, December 7, January 20, February 14 and 15. In each instance, 10 to 20 students were injured and several students have been charged with multiple criminal offences ranging from arson to attempt to murder,’’ Susie said.
Another member MV Shastri said that the public hearing would enable them in foregrounding the systematic and targeted nature of police violence on the campus. It is also necessary in devising strategies to prevent a repeat of violence either at OU or in other localities in the Telangana region in future.
Human Rights Forum Secretary P Madhavi said they have conducted fact-finding probes into these incidents which also stressed the fact of police provocation. Police stopped lathicharge only when a group of lawyers entered the campus to stand literally in between the police and the students.
“It is not only the students but the inhabitants of the nearby Manikeswar Nagar, who have been subjected to severe police harassment for renting out rooms to the OU students and supporting them,’’ she felt.
The committee comprised Prof Susie Tharu, Prof D Narasimha Reddy, Prof Krishnadeva Rao, M V Shastri, Prof G Haragopal, Prof Kalpana Kannabiran and Dr Deeptha Achar.
Political Science Department students Yelender, Rajesh, Shilpa, OU Student Joint Action Committee representative Upender, OU Professor Chinna Basaveswar Rao and residents of Manikeswar Nagar, Allakunta Gandamma, K Andalamma were among those who deposed.
–Agencies