Shutdown in parts of Telangana to protest firing on students

Shops, business establishments and educational institutes were closed in parts of Hyderabad and nine other Telangana districts on Friday in response to a shutdown call to protest police firing on students  at the Osmania University campus. The shutdown call was given by the Osmania University joint Action  Committee (OUJAC) OUJAC and the Telangana Joint  Action Committee, comprising various groups fighting for separate state.

Shops and business establishments were also closed in some parts of  Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and Medak districts while the state-owned  Road Transport Corporation (RTC) stopped plying buses on some routes  as a precautionary measure, officials said.

Schools, colleges and universities in the region remained closed to  protest both the police action on Osmania University campus and the  report of the Srikrishna committee, which strongly recommended keeping  Andhra Pradesh united.

The Telangana JAC has also called for lunch-hour demonstrations by  government employees.

Osmania University, the nerve centre of the Telangana agitation, remained a  tense a day after violence on the campus.

Areas around the university wore a deserted look as shops and business  establishments were closed. However, normal life remained  unaffected in the rest of the city.

Violence in the campus continued till late Thursday night as students fought pitched battles with police and the latter fired rubber bullets  and lobbed teargas shells after repeated caning failed to disperse the  students.

At least a dozen policemen including a senior officer were injured in  stone pelting by students. Scored of students were also injured in the  use of force by police. Two students sustained bullet  injuries and they were shifted to hospital.

As the government imposed restrictions on media, no television channel  telecast the clashes which continued throughout the day. This helped  the police in containing the violence from spreading outside the campus.

Additional police forces were deployed in the campus Friday to prevent  students from taking out any procession. The trouble had broken out Thursday after students tried to take out a rally to protest the  report of the Srikrishna Committee.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com