Students eat beef in Osmania University hostel rooms

Hyderabad: Police on Thursday thwarted efforts to conduct the beef festival in Osmania University. The festival was planned at the Arts College to observe Human Rights Day by 24 Dalit and Left wing student organisations. The police ensured that the event was not held.

However, students claimed that they prepared beef items and consumed them in their hostel rooms. Pictures of students consuming beef in the hostel were circulated on social networking sites and mobile apps.

Some arrested students even posted pictures of themselves eating beef inside the Amberpet police station.

Cops ensure students don’t leave hostels

Police ensured that none of the students living in hostels where the festival organisers stayed stepped out of their rooms.

Mussavir Mohammad, one of the organisers at Ambedkar hostel said, “The police arrested anyone who stepped out of the hostel regardless of whether the student was an organiser or not. Even mess workers were not allowed into the hostel to prepare dinner.”

The pork festival too was not allowed to take place which was to be conducted at Arts College on Thursday. Solanki Srinivas, the organiser, was arrested on Wednesday evening.

OU registrar Prof E. Suresh Kumar said, “University was peaceful and I thank the police for upholding court orders.”and not allowing any untoward incident to take place in the university."

Outside the university campus too there was high drama as groups of people belonging to Hindu organisations shouted “Jai Sri Ram” slogans and made sporadic appearances near the NCC gate.

While the police detained a few, others escaped. In one incident a cow was brought near the gate to conduct “gau puja” but that effort too was thwarted.

All entrances to OU were sealed for outsiders and police were deployed to ensure that only those with university identity cards were allowed to enter.

As per sources, only students who had exams were allowed to move about subject to scrutiny. While a final semester theory exam which was to be conducted in the Technology department was cancelled, exams in the Engineering College were conducted peacefully.