Pressure on govt to withdraw forces increases

Demanding immediate withdrawal of Central paramilitary forces, members of the Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee (OUJAC) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Sunday staged a silent protest on the campus.

The students, with their lips taped with black ribbons and carrying placards, on which their main demand that the Central Paramilitary Forces be recalled from the Telangana region by Monday, was displayed prominently.

Slogans against the state government and Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy were also written on the placards.

ABVP national executive committee member Ramakrishna demanded the government should withdraw the police from Campus by Monday and the heavy presence of security personnel at the three entrances to the University be removed with immediate effect.

The ABVP members warned that they would intensify their agitation if the government fails to withdraw the Forces from the campus. The ABVP also gave a call to all Telangana protagonists to join it for a ‘Chalo OU' march on Tuesday.

Earlier, Congress MPs met Home Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy at the Secretariat and expressed serious concern over the deployment of Central Forces there. They urged the Home Minister to take steps and immediately withdraw the Forces from the campus.

Talking to media persons, MP Manda Jagannatham said the Home Minister assured the MPs delegation to withdraw forces from the campus soon after having a discussion with officials over the situation.

The MPs also urged the Home Minister to open hostel messes, which were closed on January 8-16 for the Sankranti vacation.

Mr Jagannatham said that Ms Indra Reddy assured that the demand to lift restrictions imposed on media coverage of the events which have rocked the Osmania University after the submission of Justice B N Srikrishna Commission Report will be looked into.

The Home Minister asked the students and all party leaders to cooperate to maintain peace in the state.

She said that some outside elements were staying in the campus and provoking the students.

The government would probe into incident that occurred on Thursday in the campus and arrest those anti-social elements, Ms Indra Reddy stated.