Tensions at Osmania University: As it happened on Thursday

A newspaper reports that organisers of the ‘beef festival’ have confined their event to hostel rooms due to police restrictions. Pictures of students eating beef items are being circulated on WhatsApp, says Hindustan Times. Police are tracing the origin of these pictures.

Swami Paripoornanda Saraswati condemns the attempts to hold beef festival, says this would hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus as cow is considered sacred.

A Hindu religious leader, along with some BJP leaders and his followers, participate in `Gau Raksha Diwas` at Lower Tank Bund, some five km from the university.

Osmania University, one of the oldest educational institutions of higher learning, has already clarified that activities unrelated to academics, including 'beef festival', 'pork festival' and 'gau-puja' would not be permitted on the campus. 

Also Read: Non-academic activities won't be allowed in campus: Osmania University on 'beef festival'

A students' group had earlier declared that it would hold a 'beef festival' on the campus today, coinciding with the World Human Rights Day, while another group also announced its plan to organise a 'pork festival' the same day, which raised the possibility of confrontation.

On the University premises, police have imposed restrictions on movement of people and vehicles. Barricades have been put up at all the vantage points of the institution.

A 'curfew-like' situation prevails on the Osmania University campus with heavy police security being deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

The Hyderabad High Court had on Wednesday directed the organisers of the proposed `beef festival' as well as the Osmania University management to maintain "status quo", staying the holding of the festival.

Also Read: Beef festival in Osmania University: 'Hyderabad court denies permission'

Assistant Commissioner of Police K Ram Bhupal Rao tells PTI that they arrested BJP MLA from Goshamahal, T Raja Singh, as a preventive measure to maintain law and order.

Also Read: Osmania University beef festival: BJP MLA Raja Singh arrested

Raja Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA who had vowed to 'do anything to protect cows', has been arrested. The BJP legislator had threatened that if beef festival was allowed, a Dadri-like situation might occur.

The students, who were arrested from Ambedkar hostel, were planning to organise beef festival in the university today despite police restrictions. 

Amid mounting tension on Osmania University campus over proposed beef festival by some students' groups and a counter pork festival and 'Gau Maata' puja by their rivals, the Hyderabad Police on Thursday arrested eight students from a hostel of the university.

Also Read: Beef festival: Police steps up vigil at Osmania University