  The possibility of the Ly{\beta} fluorescence mechanism being operational in
classical Be stars and thereby contributing to the strength of the OI 8446
{\AA} line has been recognized for long. However this supposition needs to be
quantified by comparing observed and predicted OI line ratios. In the present
work, optical and near-infrared spectra of classical Be stars are presented. We
analyse the observed strengths of the OI 7774, 8446, 11287 and 13165 {\AA}
lines which have been theoretically proposed as diagnostics for identifying the
excitation mechanism. We have considered and examined the effects of Ly{\beta}
fluorescence, collisional excitation, recombination and continuum fluorescence
on these OI line strengths. From our analysis it appears that the Ly{\beta}
fluorescence process is indeed operative in Be stars.
