Pressure mounted on the Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday to withdraw central security forces from Osmania University, the hotbed of Telangana agitation.
Following the demand by Telangana Congress leaders that the central forces must be withdrawn and the alleged restrictions on the media at the OU be lifted, state Home Minister P Sabita Reddy on Sunday convened a meeting of the Congress leaders, top police officials and the varsity's peace committee.
"We told the home minister and officials that a war-like atmosphere prevails at the university. Messes are closed. There are reports of hostels being attacked. Students fear pellets and rubber bullets that are being fired," said Congress Lok Sabha member M Jagannatham.
"Also, the restrictions on media have to be lifted, because we don't get to know what is happening inside the university. We have sought relaxation on these things," he said.
Telugu Desam leaders from Telangana and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti had also earlier demanded that the forces must be withdrawn from the Osmania University, the nerve-centre of separate statehood agitation by the students.
The home minister clarified that there is no truth in the propaganda that central security forces have been deployed in the university campus. "We called this meeting to explain what is actually happening in the university...The propaganda that forces have been deployed in the university and that the students are facing trouble is not correct."
"Forces have been stationed outside the university as a precautionary measure in view of the incidents that happened earlier," she told reporters after the meeting.
Director General of Police K Aravinda Rao said there is no truth in reports that security personnel attacked some hostels and the students were not allowed to move about freely.
"The public representatives had some misconceptions about the behaviour of policemen and that excess force was used in the university," he said.
There are no restrictions on students' movement, he said. Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan said he will hold a meeting with the representatives of media on how the information can be furnished.
"Mediapersons are coming to the University. But now the complaint is that there are restrictions on reporting. Apart from the National Broadcasters Association (advisory, there are some clear orders from the high court. When the media representatives meet me, we will discuss the whole issue threadbare and take a decision," he said.
On the complaint that messes have been closed, Osmania University Vice Chancellor T Tirupati Rao said some messes have been closed for the winter vacation but no student would be deprived of food.
