HYDERABAD: In order to show their dissent to the activities of Hindu extremists, student organisations at the Osmania University have decided to celebrate Valentines Day on a grand scale and have come under a umbrella called ‘Indian Lovers Unity (ILU)’.
The group on Friday met Additional Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar and requested him to arrest Bajrang Dal activists, who are threatening youth and asking them to refrain from celebrating Valentines Day, and provide protection to the youth who want to celebrate the day.
RN Shankar, one of the organisers of the Valentines Day celebration at OU, said, “We are calling out to the youth of the state to come to OU and promote this day. We want to demolish the caste system by encouraging inter-caste marriages and this would be a stepping stone for that.”
“Today, we visited the Additional Commissioner and requested him to protect youth from Banjrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists. He assured us his support and said that patrolling vans will be placed near public places like parks and malls so that people who interrupt celebrations can be arrested,” he added.
On Sunday, the ILU group will be organising a debate on love marriages and would be conducting a hall meeting. The group is also planning to organise an open meeting. More than 20 student organisations like All India Students Federation (AISF), Students Federation of India (SFI), Telangana Vidyavntula Vedika (TVV) have come together to organise this event.