Hyderabad, March 18: Demanding the introduction of separate Telangana Bill in the ongoing Parliament session, nearly 30 Telangana students launched a fast-unto-death at the Arts College in the Osmania University campus on Thursday.
The fast-unto-death, Maha Amarana Nirahara Deeksha, was launched by the Telangana Vidyarthi Aikya Vedika, a break-away group of students who recently launched a rebellion against the student JAC in the OU. On the other hand, the Telangana Student JACs have set a 48-hour deadline for the government to release the student leaders who were arrested during the recent agitations.
“We want the introduction of separate Telangana Bill in the ongoing Parliament session. If the Prime Minister can convene a joint parliamentary session to order a JPC probe, why can’t both the Houses be convened and a Bill for separate Telangana be introduced in the present session itself,” the Aikya Vedika spokesperson K Mahesh said. The students leaders also demanded that the elected representatives of the region prevail upon their party high commands for the introduction of the Bill.
Several Telangana leaders, including Prof Keshav Rao Jadhav, revolutionary singer Vimalakka, representatives of lawyers, doctors JACs and professors and Muslim leaders visited the camp and extended their support to the fasting students.
Speaking on the occasion, Vimalakka said that the elected representatives from the region should run a parallel Assembly to build pressure on the government for introduction of Telangana Bill. “Students are playing a major role in the movement and we extend our support to them,” she said.
She also gave a call to all political parties, JACs and students to form a Maha Front and fight for separate Telangana. She demanded the withdrawal of cases registered during the Million March against the students, lawyers and others and also withdrawal of police forces from the region.
Meanwhile, the four splinter groups of TSJACs today met in the seminar hall of the University and set a 48-hour deadline for the release of the students arrested during the Telangana agitations. “Several students and leaders have been implicated in false cases and arrested. We demand that they are released immediately,” OUJAC spokesperson P Kailash said.
The student leaders warned that they would storm the chief minister’s residence and the Director General of Police (DGP) office, if the arrested students were not released within 48 hours.
The OUJACs would also meet the Telangana JAC and the representatives of all political parties to get support from them in their fight. The OUJAC is also planning to approach the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) for getting the student leaders released.
—-Agencies