Hyderabad:
After a show of strength on Hyderabad's Necklace Road with thousands of people gathering for the Telangana march on Sunday, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) has called for a 48-hour bandh beginning today. The bandh has, however, evoked poor response.
There are no reports of any untoward incident and there are no reports of any disruptions. Some schools are, however, closed.
The JAC has given a call for a 48-hour bandh from today to put pressure on the government to come to a decision on its demand for a separate state. It has also said that the responsibility for bringing a separate Telangana state is now on ministers from the region. The protesters want the ministers to either create a separate Telangana state or resign.
The convenor of the JAC, M Kodandaram, said that the leaders of the Telangana JAC will sit on indefinite hunger strike soon. "It is the responsibility for Telangana struggle on Telangana ministers," said Mr Kodandaram.
This ultimatum comes at a time when the prestigious UN Convention on Biodiversity is set to kick off in the city. There are 8000-odd delegates from 193 countries in Hyderabad for the UN conference. The conference is taking place at Hitex near hitech city which won't be affected by the bandh.
Mr Kodandaram and other leaders had asked the supporters during the march on Sunday to stay put at the venue till the Central government agreed to the demand for a separate state. The rally, however, ended shortly before midnight as it was raining heavily.
The bandh has been called by the Telangana Students' Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Osmania University and the Telangana JAC. As part of their protest, they will today organise a
rasta roko in protest against police restrictions. On Tuesday, a hunger strike has been planned at Indira Park in Hyderabad. Then, on Wednesday, the Steering Committee will meet to decide the future course. The university has, meanwhile, postponed examinations scheduled for today.
Sunday's march was marred by incidents of violence. Apprehending trouble, the state police chief had refused permission for the Telangana march on the Tank Bund. But with political pressure from all parties, including Congress leaders from Telangana, the state government, as a compromise, later decided to allow the rally from 3 pm to 7 pm on the on Necklace Road on the edge of Husainsagar Lake. But the protesters defied the deadline and even and clashed with security personnel on their way.
At a late night press conference yesterday, Police Commissioner Auriga Sharma said that Left wing extremist groups have infiltrated the movement and were suspected to be behind the violence. He also said that the Superintendent of Police (Intelligence), Rajashekhar, was seriously injured in the clashes during the march which also left an inspector and 17 constables with injuries. Mr Sharma said that five protesters were also injured.
He said 25 police vehicles were damaged of which three were torched. 12 Express trains and 25 passenger trains were cancelled yesterday; all cinema theatres and multiplexes in Greater Hyderabad limits too remained closed.
Mr Sharma said that several people including some TDP MLAs, who were staging a dharna outside the Secretariat have been taken into preventive custody. Telangana Congress MPs who were trying to stage a dharna outside Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's office against preventive arrests and restrictions were also arrested and taken away by the police.
Incidents of violence were reported from the Osmania University campus, Khairatabad and the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat. The protesters also set afire two police and three media vehicles and tried to attack a restaurant, amusement park and an MMTS station. All MMTS services have been suspended till 1 pm tomorrow.
When they were stopped from passing by the Secretariat road and some other areas where prohibitory orders were in place, the protesters pelted stones and tried to remove the barricades which prompted the security personnel to lob tear gas shells after trying to chase them away.
Three years ago, it was apprehensions of another massive pro-Telangana march that led to a surprise midnight announcement by P Chidambaram, who was then union Home Minister. In Delhi, on December 10, 2009, he said the Centre had decided to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. The backlash was so severe from those who do not live in Telangana that the decision was rescinded. Since then, the politically sensitive issue has been put on hold by Delhi, while pro-Telangana parties, led by the TRS and its K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), have been urging the central government to deliver what it once promised. Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Governor ESL Narasimhan, who is believed to be against the idea of a new state, have met recently with Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. Sources in the party say that it is not prepared to risk another political agitation or political alienation ahead of the next general election, scheduled for 2014.
(With PTI inputs)