| Font Size |
While the march was allowed between 3 and 7 pm, police tried to prevent people from reaching the protest site, saying they had no permission to walk in processions except on the Necklace Road. This led to clashes at many places. Hundreds were taken into preventive custody. Two media vehicles and four police jeeps were burnt.
Later, the activists defied the deadline to end the rally and kept sitting at the protest site, despite the downpour that began in the evening. Angry at the police action, they resolved to stay put till a separate state was announced.
South Central Railways cancelled 37 trains and suspended all local suburban services in what was seen as a bid to prevent people from other districts of Telangana from reaching Hyderabad.
Students of Osmania University took the lead. More than 10,000 stood face to face with the huge police and Rapid Action Force contingent, seeking to join the protest. Several students were injured as police retaliated to stone-pelting. “This is not democracy, this is dictatorship,” said Pravin Kumar, a student leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
Some student leaders later met Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy, who reiterated the police view on the protest site.
At least 10 Congress MPs sat on a dharna outside the chief minister’s bungalow. “Is this a police state?” demanded Congress MP Madhu Yashki Goud.
DGP V Dinesh Reddy denied that the police were creating obstacles, saying people had been told to “follow the (specified) conditions”.
The government is keen on dispersing the protesters to ensure that the 19-day world biodiversity meet, to be attended by over 5,000 delegates, has a smooth start in Hyderabad on Monday. Telangana groups, however, announced a total bandh.
No doubt, the leaders of the region have succeeded in capturing the sentiment factor, stoked first by TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao. He has been overtaken by other parties, including the Congress leaders from Telangana, for political survival.It's difficult to say that numbers at the rally are indicators of the people's sentiment. Srikrishna panel was not stupid to favor the six option....any other formula would leave the State beyond repair.
Whenever a problem arises for UPA II, they unleash old problems from cold storage. When the whole of India is against FDI in retail, the UPA II digs out Telengana issue to divert the pressure, the media and the public. It is funny that congress MPs are involved. They must have been specifically ordered to protest. Our UPA govt. is shameless and they use such tactics or CBI (this too is shameless) to thwart the opposers
