Congress incurs lecturers’ wrath

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at Gandhi Bhavan, the State Congress headquarters situated on the M J Road, Nampally, while security was beefed up at TRS Bhavan, the ruling party’s headquarters in Banjara Hills, in the wake of protests and demonstrations planned before them on Friday by contract lecturers and students respectively.

Contract lecturers planned to stage a dharna before Gandhi Bhavan protesting against the action of a Congress leader Manavata Rai for filing a petition in the court opposing regularisation of their services.

It may be recalled that the State government recently issued GO No 16 for regularisation of services of contract lecturers. Congress leaders had moved the court against this GO on a plea that many of them were not eligible to be lecturers.

Taking a serious view of the Congress leader’s move in trying to put spokes in the process of their services being regularised, contract lecturers tried to stage a dharna before Gandhi Bhavan leading to a tense situation.

The agitating lecturers squatted and raised slogans against the Congress and also raised banners and placards denouncing the Congress leader’s move.

The police arrived at the scene and took the agitating lecturers into custody and also removed the banners and placards.

As a counter move, the Congress leader Manavata Rai announced that he would lead a rally of unemployed youth to stage a dharna before the TRS Bhavan in Jubilee Hills.

To prevent any untoward incident and also to thwart the attempts of the unemployed youth, the police made elaborate security arrangements before the TRS Bhavan also on the roads leading to it.

Meanwhile, students of Osmania University tried to go in a rally and stage dharna before the TRS Bhavan protesting against the State government not implementing fee reimbursement and scholarships scheme.

However, the students’ attempt was foiled by the Osmania University Police, who dispersed them near the entrance to the university.