Students march to AP Assembly; police resorts to lathicharge

Hyderabad, Dec 13 (UNI) Police today resorted to lathicharge as students, demanding minimum facilities in government-run hostels and stipends for the SC, ST and Backward Class students, tried to march towards the Andhra Pradesh Assembly which is in Session since Monday.

Hundreds of students, who came to the city from different parts of the state, were stopped by a barricade of police when the Students Federation of India (SFI) organised a march to the Assembly to press for their demands.

Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) A K Khan told mediapersons that the police used only mild force as minor children were leading the march.

The marchers violated the permitted route and tried to go towards the Assembly, he said. Police had to use force as the students blocked the traffic near the busy Narayanaguda road by staging a sit-in protest.

While the ACP claimed that only two students were injured against several policemen in stone-pelting by students, student leaders claimed that several students sustained serious injuries in the lathicharge.

Two injured students were admitted to hospital, Mr Khan added.

Later addressing the meeting of students who congregated at the Sundaraiah Vignan Bhavan, the headquarters of the CPI(M), party state secretary and politburo member B V Raghavulu assured that the issue would be taken up in the current Assembly session.

The students in government hostels were enjoying lesser facilities than prisoners undergoing punishments for offences, he added.

The CPI and the TDP also assured support to the agitation.

UNI JRK MS GC1718