Osmania University campus turned into a virtual battle field with agitated students clashing with police, who prevented them from taking the body of Venugopal Reddy in a procession to the Gun Park near State Assembly on Wednesday morning.
Coming under intense stone attacks from the students, who scattered all over the sprawling campus, police lobbed nearly two dozen tear gas shells and repeated lathicharges.
Tension was building up right from the morning with the students agitating for a separate Telangana state planning to take the body of Venugopal Reddy in a procession. Reddy had immolated himself near Tagore auditorium on the campus and his charred body was found by morning walkers on Tuesday morning.
Peaceful
Meanwhile, situation is reported to be peaceful in ten Telangana districts barring a few incidents of stone pelting on buses and private establishments. The ten Telangana districts are observing a bandh today in protest against the delay in forming a Telangana State.
"Situation is very volatile. Students are gathering in large numbers. The inmates of different hostels are filing out to join others on roads" one of the lecturers of the university told The Hindu over phone.
Though the State capital is totally shut down in view of the bandh call given by the Telangana JAC after the death of Venugopal Reddy, police apprehend that allowing a large procession of students upto the State Assembly could lead to violence. As the students began their march from the arts college with the body of Reddy kept in an ambulance, police moved in and tried to stop the procession near Ladies' hostel.
Stones hurled
The infuriated students began hurling stones at the police leading to injuries to several policemen and officers. Two police vehicles were totally damaged by the students. Police tried to chase away the students using force, but the students ran into the open place around Ladies' hostel and began regrouping minutes later only to intensify the stone-hurling on police.
Even as additional forces were being rushed to campus, police were lobbing tear gas shells but to little effect.
All the entry and exit points of the Osmania University campus have been sealed and police were diverting traffic via other routes.
