WARANGAL: Kakatiya University was on the boil on Friday after police lathicharged students who tried to take out a rally after boycotting the PG examinations demanding a separate Telangana state. Fifteen students were injured in the lathicharge. The KU JAC called for a bandh of educational institutions in Telangana districts on Saturday to protest the police action.
Trouble began soon after hundreds of students congregated at the KU campus and decided to take out a rally in the town. When police stopped them at the administrative building, the students shouted slogans against the cops. Soon, more students assembled at the spot by tearing the exam hall-tickets and demanded tabling of a bill in Parliament for formation of T-state. Irked by the slogan-shouting, CRPF personnel used tear gas on the protesting students.
When the situation didn't ease, the cops resorted to a lathicharge. The students ran out from the university second gate when the cops started raining blows on them.
Hundreds of students later boycotted the PG examinations in other centres by taking out a rally from Kaloji junction to Ambedkar statue to protest the police lathicharge. Condemning the police action, the students stage rasta rokos at all important junctions in Warangal.
Nearly 3,000 students of Satavahana University in Karimnagar also boycotted the exams and took out a rally to express solidarity with KU students.
OPTIONAL TRIM
Meanwhile, the Rachchabanda programme continued to invite the wrath of Telangana protesters in various parts of the district. TRS activists and students climbed atop a cell tower at Chelpur village in Mulug Ghanpur mandal demanding the formation of a separate state. They raised slogans against Rachchabanda and said it would serve no purpose.
TRS activists and villagers attacked DCC president and Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy's convoy at Mulug Ghanpur during a Rachchabanda programme. He narrowly escaped when the protesters hurled eggs on his convoy. He entered the gram panchayat building with police protection even as villagers boycotted the programme.
BJP and TRS workers opposed the tour of BC welfare minister B Saraiah at Rangashaipet in Warangal. They demanded Saraiah to step down and fight for separate Telangana.
