Little response to Telangana bandh; students-police clash at Osmania University

HYDERABAD: Pro-Telangana students today clashed with police which used teargas shell to quell the protestors at Osmania University campus here even as the bandh called by different groups favouring separate statehood had little impact in the state capital and Telangana districts.

A group of activists under the banner of Telangana students and OU-JAC held protests in front of the OU Police Station located on the varsity campus and later pelted stones on the police station and cops, a senior police officer told media.

Police retaliated by firing teargas shells to disperse the protesting students, he said.

Telangana student unions including Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee gave a bandh call today, protesting the alleged high-handedness of police during the 'Telangana March' in support of the separate statehood demand yesterday.

The bandh evoked a very little response in Hyderabad as business establishments and offices functioned normally, though some schools and colleges run by private educational institutions remained closed. However, no holiday was declared for state-run educational institutions, officials said.

RTC buses were plying as usual while private vehicles also moved normally.

"Some schools voluntarily closed and so far there was no reports of forcible closure of shops. The bandh so far has evoked little impact in Hyderabad region," another senior police officer said.

OU-JAC leaders threatened to lay-siege to residences of Telangana ministers here, if they did not quit their posts in support of separate Telangana.

Reports from Karimnagar, Medak, Mahabubnagar and Warangal districts said the bandh evoked partial response with educational institutions remaining closed even as statehood supporters held demonstrations at various places.