Hyderabad: The ‘beef festival’ triggered violent protests on the Osmania University campus on Sunday evening, resulting in injuries to five students and protesters setting two vehicles on fire.
Akhil Bharathiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists tried to disrupt the festival, organised by dalit student organisations and supported by Left groups, in front of Narmada Research Scholars (NRS) Hostel on the campus, but police foiled their attempt.
The ‘beef festival’ was announced last month by the Telangana Student Association, Progressive Democratic Student Union and Student Federation of India along with student groups from English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). In a similar incident last year, ABVP students had staged a protest on Eflu campus.
At around 6.45 pm, even as the festival, where beef biryani was served to a group of over 200 supporters, was being wound up, about 50 student protesters shouting slogans tried to march towards the venue and started pelting stones. In the violence that continued till late in the night, two vehicles, including a media van, were torched by the angry protesters and five students of the organising committee suffered injuries.
Dalit students groups of OU supported by some senior faculty and city-based academics had organised the festival to celebrate the dalit food culture, which includes eating beef. The festival was attended by senior faculty andacademics like S Simhadri, Gali Vinod Kumar, Bhangya Bhukya, P L Visweswara Rao, Gogu Shyamala and G Aloysius, who were caught up in the violence. Anticipating trouble, police and paramilitary forces were stationed on the campus from morning itself and all entry/exit points were sealed to prevent outsiders from entering it.
Trouble started when ABVP activists marched from B Hostel to NRS demanding police arrest and remove the festival organisers. As the mob was stopped 30 metres from the venue, they started pelting stones. Though police could restrain the mob for about 30 minutes, the cordon was broken and several students started pelting stones at the NRS hostel. Beef festival organisers plan to meet home minister
Hyderabad: Police, however, chased them away towards ‘B’ hostel. To vent their anger, the students torched vehicles parked between ‘B’ hostel and NRS. In the stand-off that followed, about 10 rounds of teargas shells were fired. The ABVP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had earlier issued a threat to disrupt the festival stating that it hurt religious sentiments. Senior academics condemned the attack saying students should be allowed to have food of their choice. “About 40% of the country’s population eats beef. There is no right for anyone to state that this is unholy. To prevent students from eating beef is to negate their identity and can be equated to untouchability,” P L Visweswara Rao, former principal, OU Arts College, and current head, department of communication, Maulana Azad National Urdu University said.
Academics pointed out that the actual event was preceded by sensitisation seminars on the issue and the need to break taboo surrounding the consumption of beef. Meanwhile, the festival organisers took objection to the violence unleashed on them in spite of heavy police presence. “We will petition the home minister against violation of our basic rights,” B Sudershan, president, Research Scholars’ Association, said. Unperturbed by the violent reaction, the organisers said they were planning to make the festival an annual event.
Akhil Bharathiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists tried to disrupt the festival, organised by dalit student organisations and supported by Left groups, in front of Narmada Research Scholars (NRS) Hostel on the campus, but police foiled their attempt.
The ‘beef festival’ was announced last month by the Telangana Student Association, Progressive Democratic Student Union and Student Federation of India along with student groups from English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). In a similar incident last year, ABVP students had staged a protest on Eflu campus.
At around 6.45 pm, even as the festival, where beef biryani was served to a group of over 200 supporters, was being wound up, about 50 student protesters shouting slogans tried to march towards the venue and started pelting stones. In the violence that continued till late in the night, two vehicles, including a media van, were torched by the angry protesters and five students of the organising committee suffered injuries.
Dalit students groups of OU supported by some senior faculty and city-based academics had organised the festival to celebrate the dalit food culture, which includes eating beef. The festival was attended by senior faculty andacademics like S Simhadri, Gali Vinod Kumar, Bhangya Bhukya, P L Visweswara Rao, Gogu Shyamala and G Aloysius, who were caught up in the violence. Anticipating trouble, police and paramilitary forces were stationed on the campus from morning itself and all entry/exit points were sealed to prevent outsiders from entering it.
Trouble started when ABVP activists marched from B Hostel to NRS demanding police arrest and remove the festival organisers. As the mob was stopped 30 metres from the venue, they started pelting stones. Though police could restrain the mob for about 30 minutes, the cordon was broken and several students started pelting stones at the NRS hostel. Beef festival organisers plan to meet home minister
Hyderabad: Police, however, chased them away towards ‘B’ hostel. To vent their anger, the students torched vehicles parked between ‘B’ hostel and NRS. In the stand-off that followed, about 10 rounds of teargas shells were fired. The ABVP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had earlier issued a threat to disrupt the festival stating that it hurt religious sentiments. Senior academics condemned the attack saying students should be allowed to have food of their choice. “About 40% of the country’s population eats beef. There is no right for anyone to state that this is unholy. To prevent students from eating beef is to negate their identity and can be equated to untouchability,” P L Visweswara Rao, former principal, OU Arts College, and current head, department of communication, Maulana Azad National Urdu University said.
Academics pointed out that the actual event was preceded by sensitisation seminars on the issue and the need to break taboo surrounding the consumption of beef. Meanwhile, the festival organisers took objection to the violence unleashed on them in spite of heavy police presence. “We will petition the home minister against violation of our basic rights,” B Sudershan, president, Research Scholars’ Association, said. Unperturbed by the violent reaction, the organisers said they were planning to make the festival an annual event.
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