More protests at Osmania varsity over Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit

Congress leader was denied permission to visit campus on May 7

Protests staged by student groups in Osmania University continued yesterday against authorities denying permission for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the campus on May 7.

Police arrested leaders of the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU JAC) when they staged a protest in front of Arts College on the campus.

Large number of policemen were deployed in the campus after Sunday’s incident in which protesters led by NSUI state president Venkat Balmoor stormed into the OU administrative building and tried to barge into the locked Vice Chancellor’s office.

They broke glass panes of the door, raising slogans against the VC and the government, alleging the VC was acting at the behest of the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Booked for rioting

They were booked for unlawful assembly, assault, rioting, trespass and preventing public servants from discharging their duties.

Based on a complaint by a woman police constable, the arrested NSUI leaders were also charged with attempting to outrage her modesty. Balmoor and 17 others were produced before a magistrate, who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.

Congress MP and in charge of party affairs in Telangana, Manickam Tagore has condemned the arrest of NSUI leaders and demanded their immediate release.

The Congress leaders, however, claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s visit was not political. They said he would visit the hostel and mess and interact with students to know about their problems. They maintained that he has been visiting universities in different parts of the country.