No question of allowing beef festival on OU campus: police

Hyderabad police today said there is no question of allowing 'beef festival' in Osmania University campus, as proposed by a group of students, now that the varsity authorities have refused permission to it. A Leftist students' organisation had declared that it would hold a 'beef festival' on December 10 in the campus, coinciding with the World Human Rights Day. "It will not be allowed. We will make all security arrangements to ensure that peace and tranquillity prevails on the OU campus," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Zone) A Ravinder told PTI. "For conducting any programme on university campus, one has to approach the OU authorities and now that they have already denied permission to hold any kind of festivals (beef or any other kind), the question of our giving permission to them does not arise," he said. Another group of students had announced plans to organise a 'pork festival' in the university campus on the same day, setting the stage for a confrontation. OU authorities had said yesterday that activities such as 'beef festival' and 'gau (cow) puja', which are not related to academics and research, will not be permitted on the campus. In 2012, violence had erupted in the OU campus when a 'beef festival' was held by some students' groups, in which several students were injured as a result of confrontation between them and the opposing groups. Asked about the student groups saying today they are determined to go ahead with the proposed 'beef festival' and BJP MLA Raja Singh reiterating that he would stop it, Ravinder said "we will take all steps for maintenance of peace. Now that permission has been rejected, we will not allow any such thing to happen".