Sabita blames outsiders for OU trouble

HYDERABAD: Accusing outsiders and non-boarders for fomenting trouble on the Osmania University campus, the state government on Sunday clarified that police forces were not deployed on the varsity premises as was being alleged by some political parties.
Addressing media after a meeting of Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs with the DGP, city police commissioner and OU vice-chancellor at her office, home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy informed that OU campus was not occupied by police personnel."Allegations that police camps have come up across the OU campus are totally false and baseless. Adequate police forces have been positioned outside the campus in view of the past experience of violent acts by students. The presence of armed personnel at the OU police station is to protect the police personnel who have been repeatedly attacked by agitators. However, armed personnel are confined to the precincts of the police station. They are not moving around in the campus as is being alleged in a section of the media," she said.
The home minister said the police department during their investigation have found out that outsiders and non-boarders had infiltrated the OU campus and were instigating students to launch attacks on police personnel. She clarified that there were no restrictions on the entry and exit of students having bona fide credentials. "If boarders have valid ID cards, they are being allowed to move around freely. However, outsiders and students not belonging to the campus are being denied access keeping in view the current volatile situation. Similarly, students have been advised not to enter or leave the campus in groups," she said.
Responding to allegations of police excesses by Congress elected representatives, the home minister said director-general of police K Aravind Rao and city police commissioner A K Khan clarified all their apprehensions and misgivings. "The question of recalling police forces from the campus does not arise as they have never been stationed on the campus. They have been put on a standby in the vicinity to contain incidents of violence," she said.
In reply to allegations of restricted media access while covering and airing violent agitations, the home minister said, "Lot of rumours have been making rounds in the past 72 hours about police excesses and attacks on students. Media personnel with government accreditation cards still have free access to the OU campus. There are no restrictions on them. In fact, the city police commissioner has assured to lift restricted media access in a phased manner so that rumours on the happenings in OU campus are contained."
The home minister said OU VC T Tirupati Rao had informed her the varsity was making arrangements to supply food to all boarders in the wake of a directive by the state human rights commission to provide food to students living in the hostel, despite official closure of hostel mess on the OU premises. We are serving food at E1 hostel as of now. We will be extending the same to others who have stayed back on the campus, despite holidays," Rao said.
The police officials also dispelled several misgivings about police excesses on students to the OU peace committee in the presence of the home minister.