Hyderabad, December 31: For any research scholar, it is indeed a remarkable sight to see two leading economists of the country sharing the stage together.
But when the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council C Rangarajan and former RBI Governor YV Reddy arrived here to participate in a conference, they faced embarassing moments after pro-Telangana supporters blocked their way and prevented their entry into the University of Hyderabad today.
Both the economists and other delegates were to take part in a four-day international conference organised by the Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (AIMSCS) today marking the occasion of renowned statistician and Padma Vibhushan CR Rao’s 90th birthday.
Bringing the administrative work on campus and the traffic on the Gachibowli road to a grinding halt, students of University of Hyderabad blocked the way resulting in the delegates along with other faculty members waiting outside the campus till they burnt the Government in effigy.
Even as the Telangana Joint Action Committee called for a bandh in the region, the University was open today and piqued by this action by the administration, the students closed the main gate as well as other gates, barring entry of the teaching staff into the campus.
Angry protestors formed a human chain and stopped the entry of Rangarajan, who was coming through the back gate near Gopanpally and even former RBI Governor and Professor emeritus Dr YV Reddy too had to face the ire of the crowd. After some time, the delegates were allowed to go inside.
“We are not against any of the members taking part in the conference.
In fact we respect them, which is the reason we have allowed them inside,’’ organiser of the Telangana agitation in the university, S Harinath said.
Earlier, there was a minor scuffle between students and police personnel when the former closed the University gates. However, the conference later resumed and the delegates were allowed inside.
–Agencies