Hyderabad:
Over 20 people, including security personnel and mediamen, were injured when students agitating over creation of a separate Telangana hurled stones at them on the Osmania University campus in Hyderabad, prompting police to use force to quell them.
Security personnel used batons, fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells when students defied prohibitory orders and tried to take out a procession last evening in support of legislators who resigned to protest the terms of reference of the Sri Krishna Committee to go into the issue of separate statehood, Commissioner of Police A K Khan said.
Prohibitory orders were in force on the campus as the University is the hotbed of the ongoing Telengana agitation in the state.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Security) P S R Anjaneyulu, who was supervising the security on the OU campus, was injured when the mob pelted stones at police. Ten other policemen also sustained injuries, police sources said.
Andhra Pradesh government had ordered an inquiry last night into the baton-charge on students at the University.
"The incident at OU is painful. I spoke with the DGP and Police Commissioner on the conditions that led to this incident and why cane-charge had to be done. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident immediately," state Home Minister P Sabita Reddy said.
Action will be taken if any officer is found to have committed any excess, she said.
"The Centre has constituted a committee. That committee will definitely take into consideration the feelings of the region. Students should also be calm," she said.
TDP boycotts Andhra Pradesh Assembly:Meanwhile, the Budget Session of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly started off peacefully on Monday as Telugu Desam Party kept off Parliament. But pro-Telangana MLAs are on protest for a separate statehood.
Also, Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker accepted the resignation of 12 MLAs who resigned on Sunday on the Telangana issue. This includes 10 Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, one BJP and one TDP. However, the resignation of three MLAs is still pending. Out of these, two belong to Congress and one to the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).
The legislators had said they resigned in order to mount pressure on the Centre to take immediate steps for formation of a separate state.