Hyderabad, December 30: Think twice before you go out to celebrate the New Year. That is what the Osmania University students’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have conveyed through their call for boycott of all New Year celebrations –– as a mark of respect to those who laid down their lives in the fight for a separate Telangana. However, they won’t disturb prayers at churches.
Police, however, said they will go all out to thwart their designs.
‘‘We are asking revellers to boycott festivities,’’ JAC leader T Srikanth Rao said, adding, ‘‘instead of parties, students will observe Telangana Jagarana in front of the Arts College on the Osmania University campus.’’ He clarified that the boycott would be ‘enforced.’ ‘‘We will disrupt programmes, if organised, despite the boycott call,’’ he warned. The JAC leaders have already identified possible party venues. Apart from star hotels and popular entertainment zones, resorts on the outskirts of the city are also on their radar. The ABVP extended its support to the JAC in this regard.
’’Earlier, students used to cut cakes and celebrate on the campus. This time, we are asking students not to celebrate and participate in the Telangana Jagarana,’’ OU campus ABVP leader Kadiyam Raju said.
Every year, the campus and its surrounding localities like Tarnaka, Lalaguda, Vidyanagar, Nallakunta, Uppal and other parts reverberate with celebrations at the stroke of midnight to welcome the New Year. This appears unlikely this time.
The police said they were not going to let trouble-makers spoil the celebrations. City Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao said, ‘‘now, they have thrown a challenge and we are going to take it seriously. My idea is New Year is a time for celebrations and revelry.
They have no business to disrupt it. We will deploy pickets, our officers will conduct patrolling and thwart such designs.’’
–Agencies