Agitation for Telangana state turns violent

The agitation for separate Telangana state, launched by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), took a violent turn on Sunday with the arrest of regional party president Chandrasekhar Rao, hours before he was to launch fast-unto-death.

Rao was taken into custody on the outskirts of Karimnagar while he was on his way to his home town Siddipet where he was to undertake the much-publicised indefinite fast, demanding creation of Telangana state.

He was taken to Khammam and produced before a local magistrate, who remanded him to a 14-day judicial custody. He was subsequently shifted to a sub-jail in Khammam, where he launched his hunger strike. He was charged under various IPC sections with inciting violence.

Meanwhile, TRS activists across the Telangana region hit the streets and held protest rallies. In a spontaneous outburst of anger, students of Osmania University in the state capital, Kakatiya University in Warangal and Telangana University in Nizamabad staged demonstrations and clashed with police.

Dozens of students were injured when the police baton-charged them. The police stormed a couple of hostels on the university premises to pick up those pelting stones from inside the hostel rooms.

Rao’s nephew and MLA Harish Rao doused himself with petrol and threatened immolation. The police swiftly restrained him and took him into custody. A student in the city was grievously injured when he set himself ablaze to protest against Rao’s arrest.

The opposition TDP and Left parties condemned the arrest of TRS leaders and accused the police of high-handedness.The state human rights commission has sought an explanation from the government on the police lathicharge against agitating students.

“The health condition of TRS chief does not permit him to undertake fast. We have arrested him in the interest of maintaining law and order,” Home minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy said.

The fast-unto-death programme is seen as part of a strategy by TRS to regain public confidence after suffering severe drubbing in the general elections. The party managed to win just two Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats in the general elections held in May, this year.