Troops to stay at Osmania, says SC

NEW DELHI: In a move that could help the Andhra Pradesh administration contain the students agitation over Telangana, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed till February 23 an Andhra Pradesh High Court order directing withdrawal of Central paramilitary forces from Osmania University campus, the epicentre of violent protests.

A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and T S Thakur, however, directed the state home secretary to ensure that the paramilitary forces are not allowed to misbehave in any manner with the students at the campus. The apex court said the paramilitary forces shall operate strictly under the personal supervision of the home secretary. The apex court passed the order on an appeal filed by the Andhra Pradesh government, challenging the high court’s direction to withdraw the paramilitary forces from the campus.

The AP government has also alleged that they strongly suspect that Maoists have infiltrated the movement and perhaps are inside the campus among the students. However, this allegation was rebutted by Prashant Bhushan, the counsel appearing for the students.

Andhra Pradesh government had on Thursday approached the apex court against the direction of the high court asking it to move out paramilitary forces from the university campus.

The state government had said that the high court cannot order the removal of paramilitary forces from the campus which is a hotbed of the agitation for a separate Telangana state. A division bench of the high court had on February 16 upheld the directions of a single judge to move out special forces from Osmania University campus.
Congress MPs from Telangana have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, asking them to intervene to stop police atrocities against the people of the region.

The MPs, who met here on Thursday, narrated the plight and harassment of Osmania University students at the hands of the police last week. The police attacked the girls hostel. They molested the girl students after switching off the lights,” said Congress MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi, who represents the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency. The police and the state administration are trying to brand the students of Osmania University as Maoists. The state government and the police are misleading the nation,” Mr Yaskhi had said. He said that eight Congress MPs from the state had decided to write the letter. “All Congress legislators and MPs from Telangana are facing such a situation. This happened because the police provoked the people. The state government is responsible for such a provocation,” Mr Yaskhi said.