Hyderabad: Osmania University responds to protests for hostel accommodation

Hyderabad: Responding to students' protest on Friday, an Osmania University communique said it is ready to provide hostel and mess accommodation to every student (except self-finance students).

However, it said a few students are deliberately spreading false information about the administration. "Two hostels have been allocated on the OU campus for PG students studying at Nizam College. E2 Hostel for first-year students and second-year students, who have completed the first year, will have to renew the hostel and mess for the second year".

"So far only 52 students have renewed out of 134. Even though Sarayu hostel has been allocated for mess and accommodation for renewed students, E2 hostellers are not vacating. Students contend that there is no way they will vacate E2 Hostel. Many outsiders (non-borders) are staying in E2 hostel rooms in the name of students".

"Already on several occasions authorities have met with students and tried to convince them to vacate. The VC clarified that almost all students will follow the rules at the university. Only 20-odd students are trying to make it a problem. On Friday morning, 20 students jumped gate of the administrative building. In the process, a student was hit by gate spokes and injured. Neither the security personnel nor the police laid hands on anyone. A few entered the building and broke locks of main gate. Furniture and glass doors were destroyed.

The VC assured "we are ready to provide hostel and mess accommodation to every student who applied". He appealed to student organizations not to believe false propaganda spread by a few. He said everything is calm and orderly on the campus, where 10,000 students are studying. He asked why a problem should arise for only 20-30 people. The only issue is that of outsiders. He said the problem is being created not actually by students studying at OU.

Mild tension prevails on OU campus

Mild tension prevailed on the Osmania University campus on Friday, as postgraduate students of Nizam College and inmates of E2 hostel barged into the administrative building demanding the Vice-Chancellor (VC) to open the mess.

Tension prevailed between security personnel and students, as students damaged the VC's chamber. During the turmoil, a student was seriously injured. Later the protesters were taken into custody.

According to the students, the OU administration recently allotted an E2 (a room that comes with two separate single beds) hostel on campus to Nizam College PG students. We are only staying in the hostel, but are not able to avail the mess facilities.

One of the protesting students, K Suresh, said, "we are vexed of requesting the VC of OU to provide us mess facilities. We are not self-finance students, but why even regular students are not being provided facilities? Also, earlier we were allotted a hostel and mess accommodation, but it is too far from our campus. The hostel does not have any facilities."