Sibal cuts short Hyderabad visit after being heckled

HYDERABAD - Pro-Telangana students Saturday heckled union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal at the Hyderabad Central University, prompting the leader to cut short his visit to the city and return to New Delhi.

The pro-Telangana students stopped the minister when he arrived at the university to address the vice-chancellors’ meet. They raised slogans of “Jai Telangana” and demanded that the government table a bill in parliament for the formation of a separate Telangana state.

The protesters also raised slogans against the Srikrishna committee formed by the government to look into the demands for and against creation of a separate state.

Police had to intervene to bring the situation under control. The minister cancelled his visit to the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU) on the Osmania University campus where he was to inaugurate a newly-constructed building of EFLU, and returned to the national capital.

Sibal’s junior D. Purandareswari was also scheduled to attend the function, which was cancelled following an advisory by the police who had anticipated trouble during the ministers’ visit.

Osmania University is the nerve centre of the Telangana agitation. A student early this week committed suicide to protest the delay in formation of a separate state.