The slogan of 'Jai Telangana' and defeaning sound of the tear gas shells fired by the Rapid Action Force (RPF) reverberated in the Osmania University campus here on Sunday as students clashed with security personnel after being prevented from taking out a rally from the varsity campus to the march venue.
Police took as many as 17 persons, including civil liberties leaders, into custody.
Hundreds of students strategically left the campus early on Sunday to participate in the Telangana march at Sanjeevaiah park while some of students led by Telangana Students Joint Action Committee (TSJAC) protested inside the varsity campus.
After eight hours of protesting, police triggered more than 50 rounds of tear gas shells and stun grenades when the student mob lobbed stones on the police.
Tension prevailed when the police started triggering tear gas shells on the mob.
Meanwhile, the students expressed their protest in a phased manner inside the campus. At around 10.30 am, scores of students carrying tri-colours and shouting slogans of 'Jai Telangana' and 'Police Go back' took out a rally from Arts college premises to Sanjeevaiah Park.
As the rally reached NCC gate, police prevented them stating that due to restrictions being imposed in the city, taking out of rallies was not allowed. Annoyed, student mob damaged the main gate of the OU campus at NCC and tried to barge into the police cordon.
With the police resisting the mob, students lobbed stones on them. Police then triggered tear gas shells more than 30 times, after which the mob dispersed. The same scene was replayed at 2.30 pm when 100 students took out a rally from the campus.