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Telangana and Muslims:
As the Telangana
cauldron boils over moves are already afoot to paint the dispute in
communal colors and make the region's Muslims the proverbial
sacrificial lamb. The mainstream media.....
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Hyderabad:
Tension prevailed at Osmania University here Monday as police
arrested more students who had launched a hunger strike demanding
that the central government immediately initiate the process for the
formation of Telangana state by splitting Andhra Pradesh.
Police had a tough time removing six students and shifting them to
hospital as hundreds of others resisted their attempts. These
students had launched a ‘fast unto death’, hours after some of their
colleagues on hunger strike were shifted to a hospital by police.
A
large number of policemen in riot gear including personnel of the
paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) surrounded the Arts
College building on the campus to arrest students on hunger strike.
Raising slogans of “police go back”, students squatted on the ground
and refused to leave the campus despite the university authorities
closing down all hostels and messes.
Leaders of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of students had a heated
argument with police officials and alleged that their peaceful
agitation was being suppressed.
The
arrests in a late night operation by police came hours after
students announced their plans to hold a meeting and called for a
‘Chalo Hyderabad’ march Jan 3.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner B. Prasada Rao, in a statement Sunday
night, said permission would not be given for the ‘vidyarthi garjna’
or the intensified agitation planned by the students JAC Jan 3 at
Osmania University.
The
JAC has threatened to lay siege to the city with students from
across the region joining the march if the central government failed
to make an announcement for initiating the process for the formation
of Telangana state by Jan 2.
In
an attempt to prevent mobilisation of students, university
authorities also issued an order closing down all hostels and messes
till Jan 5. The university has already declared holidays.
Police disrupted the hunger strike camp at the campus around
midnight and shifted 18 students to hospital. The condition of some
of them had deteriorated as the hunger strike had entered the fifth
day. Police used force and arrested about 50 students who tried to
resist shifting of their colleagues to hospital.
Tension also prevailed at Kakatiya University in Warangal town
Monday as a local legislator joined students who were on hunger
strike.
Meanwhile, protests for a separate state continued in Hyderabad and
nine other districts in Telangana. On an appeal by the all-party JAC,
processions and demonstrations would be held in all villages Monday
and Tuesday.
After a six-hour meeting that ended Sunday night, the JAC also
called for a shutdown Wednesday.
Since about 70 out of 119 legislators from the region have already
submitted their resignations, the JAC decided to meet Andhra Speaker
Kirankumar Reddy and urge him to accept the resignations
immediately.
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