Police deny permission for mass hunger strike in Hyderabad

Even as pro-Telangana students are preparing to launch an indefinite hunger strike from July 11 at the Osmania University in Hyderabad, to press for Telangana statehood demand, police on Saturday denied permission to it.

The Telangana Student Joint Action Committee with the theme of 'Chalo Arts College', which is located on the OU campus, has given a call for the mass indefinite hunger strike (Telangana Vidhyarthi Samuhika Amara Nirahara Deksha).

Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan said that no official permission has been granted for this proposed programme, nor the organisers had applied for it. Already prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC (till July 14) is under force in the limits of Hyderabad City Police Commissionerate and any unlawful assembly of five or more persons would be illegal, Khan said.

As per the Supreme Court directive in connection with Osmania University, no outsiders (except OU students, teaching and non-teaching staff) are allowed to conduct any meetings, other programmes inside the campus, he said adding Supreme Court directives are rigorously enforced.

Students from Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana region, who were planning to join the proposed mass indefinite hunger strike, were warned that those indulging in illegal activities would be dealt legally, the police commissioner said, according to a release tonight. The OU campus, which has turned into the nerve centre for the separate Telangana (with series of pro-Telangana protests since November 2009) movement was again rocked by violence after pro-Telangana students clashed with police during the 48-hour Telangana bandh observed on July 5 and 6.