Tension in OU as cops foil rally

Hyderabad, January 29: Mild tension prevailed on the Osmania University campus on Thursday evening after a group of students tried to take out a rally to Tarnaka protesting the fresh statement of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Telangana.

The students, carrying the effigy of Chidambaram, planned to proceed to Tarnaka protesting his statement of constituting a committee to look into the demand of separate Telangana. Police, however, prevented the students from going out of the campus at the Old PG Hostel.

A heated argument ensued, but the police were firm in not allowing the students towards Tarnaka. The protesters then proceeded towards Nallakunta where they were stopped at the NCC gate.

With no way out, the students burnt the effigy at the NCC gate and dispersed.

Additional police forces were posted on the campus with the January 28 deadline for the elected representatives to resign coming to an end.

Meanwhile, the police reportedly took another student, J Ramesh, into custody for the violence that broke out during the funeral procession of K Venugopal Reddy, a student of Lalitha Degree and PG College who immolated himself on the campus for Telangana, a few days back.

On Wednesday, the police took into custody Rajeshwar Reddy, the correspondent of Lalitha Degree and PG College, and another student JAC leader Daruvu Yellanna.

The duo were produced before a court and sent in judicial remand. Both were charged under various sections of the IPC, including rioting.

Rajeshwar Reddy was on his way to the memorial meeting of Venugopal Reddy at the Arts College when he was picked up.

–Agencies