Pro-Telangana students stage protests in Hyderabad

Pro-Telangana students from the Osmania University (OU) in Hyderabad staged a protest on Thursday demanding that they be allowed to take out a rally towards the state assembly.

The protest was held in response to the recent statement made by State Chief Kiran Kumar Reddy, which said that no financial assistance will be provided to the separate state of Telangana.

Trishank, a student leader said that they would go to the assembly and demand a Telangana state. "This is just a peaceful mandate of the people of Telangana . And we are going into the forefront and definitely we will reach our goal. We will go to assembly, we will put the Telangana flag and show how important Telangana state is for us " , said Trishank.

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Protesting students pelted stones on policemen after they were stopped at the campus gate.Police waylaid the protesters as they pushed the barricades and students pelted stones on policemen. The police retaliated by firing in the air.

The demand for the separate state has seen violent protests and political power play, with hundreds killed between 1969 and 1972.

Supporters of the separate statehood said that the interior regions which constitute the Telangana have been neglected in favour of dominant coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Osmania University has long been the hotbed of the political movement for the creation of the Telangana.