Beef festival: Osmania University continues to simmer

The Hindu Rama Rao, the PG student, who sustained knife injuries in an attack on the campus. Photo: G. Ramakrishna

Students stage protests seeking stern action against the organisers 

Osmania University continued to simmer as students staged protests on Monday seeking stern action against those who organised the beef festival on the campus and the subsequent violence that resulted in the stabbing of a PG student and torching of a bus on Sunday midnight.

A PG student, Rama Rao, sustained knife wounds, while unidentified persons torched a private bus parked at the examination branch building in the early hours of Monday. Five students were injured and a media vehicle was set ablaze during the violence on Sunday.

The injured student told the police that he was going to ‘C' hostel around 1.30 a.m. when unidentified persons intercepted him and attacked him with a knife resulting in injuries on his left shoulder and abdomen. His friends rushed him to a private hospital in Habsiguda where he was treated and discharged in the afternoon. Four hours later, unidentified persons torched a private bus parked near the examination branch building triggering tension. 

ABVP bandh 

Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised a bandh in all campus colleges on Monday protesting Sunday's violence. They took out a rally from library to the administrative block where they also staged a demonstration seeking action against professors and students who organised the beef festival on the campus. They accused a group of teachers of instigating Dalit students and creating differences among students for their ulterior motives. They sought an inquiry into the activities of some professors, who they alleged were being promoted by the missionaries.

Squatting at the main entrance, students raised slogans against Vice-Chancellor S. Satyanarayana for ‘granting permission' for the beef festival. The VC invited them for talks. “Who gave the permission for the festival? It hurt the sentiments of many students. Who will take responsibility for the attack on Rama Rao?” the students argued with the VC. “We respect the food habits of all but this was an effort to hurt the sentiments of others. This should not be allowed,” they said. 

Suspend professors 

ABVP leader Kadiyam Raju wanted the VC to suspend professors for instigating students to hold such festivals which vitiated peaceful atmosphere on the campus. He said students would intensify the agitation, if officials failed to take stringent action within 24 hours. The VC, however, clarified that permission was not given to anyone to organise the beef festival. “We will look into all the demands of the students,” he promised.

OU Inspector P. Ashok said an attempt to murder case under Section 307 of IPC was registered in connection with the attack on the PG student.

Source : The Hindu