Telangana issue: Police removes fasting students from Osmania University

HYDERABAD - The confrontation between students and police is expected to increase here later in the day, with the latter forcibly removing fasting students to a hospital on Monday morning.

During the past month, the Osmania University campus has emerged as the main centre for demands related to a separate Telangana state.

Last week, students attacked visiting Telugu Desam Party (TDP) politicians with slippers. The students are upset with Chandrababu Naidu, the chief of the TDP, for not expressing support for separate statehood for the Telangana region.

The students later apologised for the attack, claiming that anti-social elements had infiltrated the campus and were behind the attack on the politicians.

K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the chief of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has formed the Telangana Joint Action Committee with the help of politicians and students supporting the Telangana cause.

KCR has claimed that he will call for an indefinite shutdown from Tuesday over the Telangana issue in the region, if the Central Government does not commit to a schedule for the formation of the new state that it had approved earlier this month.

The Centre has put on hold the Telangana issue at present.

In the Osmania University campus, students are charged up to show their unity for the demand for Telangana statehood.

They have declared that they will hold a rally on January 3, 2010 with around five lakh students supporting the Telangana cause.

Police said they have not given permission to students to hold a public meeting. (ANI)