Amid the raging controversy over the proposed beef festival, scheduled on December 10, the City Civil Court of Hyderabad issued orders for the maintenance of status quo on campus till December 21. The interim order put all the festivals, beef, pork and Gow puja on hold. Organizers of beef festival are planning to challenge the restrictions on the program.
The orders had been issued based on a petition filed by S Janardhan Goud, advocate, and a research scholar from the University. He had complaint that the various festivals being promoted by sections of students could create law and order problem and disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the city. He also said they had the potential to desecrate the academic environment on the campus.
Stating that these festivals were ruining the image of the university, the petitioner said, ” The University is an institute of international repute, and such festivals will only defile its good name,” he told media.
The City Civil Court also instructed the police to ensure the land order was maintained on the campus and the city.
The organizers, however, are in no mood to relent from their position to hold the beef festival. They said they were planning to challenge the city Civil Court orders in High Court. Meanwhile, police foiled the bid of Osmania Students’ attempt to take out 2-km run in support of the beef festival on the campus by taking into custody about 30 students. The students, including some girls, started off the run from the lawns of Arts college to reach NCC gate on Monday. But the police stopped them mid way.
Former professor of Journalism department of OU and now the spokesperson Aam Admi Party Prof. PL Visweswar Rao condemned the attempt of Sangh Parivar groups to stop the beef festival by giving it communal color. “The move to stop the student’s annual beef festival as politically motivated and an assault on the people’ right to express their will. The festival is meant to uphold the human rights of all sections of the people,” Prof Visweswar Rao said.
