Telangana students interrupt Kapil Sibal’s meeting at HCU

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Telangana students interrupt Kapil Sibal’s meeting at HCU

Published on Sunday, March 14, 2010
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Union Minister for Human Resource and Development Kapil Sibal had a taste of the ongoing Telangana agitation during his visit to the University of Hyderabad here on Saturday.

When pro-Telangana students of the Central University caught the security personnel and the university administration unawares by blocking the venue of a press conference, organisers had to hurriedly shift the venue to a plush five star hotel in the last minute.

As a result of the sudden development, the Minister’s appointments at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), located next door to the hotbed of Telangana agitation Osmania University, had to be cancelled.

It all began at 1.50 p.m. when about 50 students of the Telangana Students Association mistook a convoy of Vice-Chancellors of different Central Universities to that of the Union Minister and obstructed it from reaching the venue where Mr. Sibal and Union Minister of State for HRD, D. Purandeswari, were to address a press conference at 2.10 p.m.

Appearing out of nowhere and shouting pro-Telangana slogans, they blocked the cars. Even as the heavy posse of policemen tried to remove them from the way of the convoy, some of them rushed to the portico of the building and staged sit-in ranting pro-Telangana slogans.

They also vent their ire against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Sibal, for his education policies. “I have sought an appointment with Mr. Sibal but was declined,” claimed one of the protesting students Lakshmi Narayana.

Sensing the futility in convincing the students to leave, officials shifted the press conference venue.