Hyderabad: After the Osmania University (OU) authorities made it clear that no beef festival would be allowed on campus, the city police have stepped in and has prohibited any kind of festival or event in the campus for the next eight days. However, the organisers are planning to go ahead and conduct the festival stating that there’s no law that prohibits a food festival in the country.
As an effort to avoid violence in campus on December 10, East Zone DCP A. Ravinder has said that the police would not permit any festival in the university for the next eight days. “In order to maintain peace and tranquility, with regard to proposed festivities in the Osmania University campus in the next eight days, it is decided not to permit celebration of any festivities on campus by any student or organisations or groups,” Mr Ravinder said.
“The members of the student community and others are requested to cooperate in this regard. All possible steps shall be taken to maintain peace and tranquility in the Osmania University campus,” he said.
However, responding to the ban order from the university authorities and the police, the organisers asked on what grounds were they banning the festival. They said that the police should not interfere in a food festival conducted inside the campus.
“We do not understand under which law they are banning our festival. As per the Indian Constitution, we are entitled to our freedom to choose our food and feed others. There were so many religious festivals in campus earlier and nobody banned them. Why would they target us now?” said Stalin, one of the organisers and member of a student’s group.
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