Jagan's tour of Warangal thwarted

A tour ostensibly meant to console the family members of those who either committed suicide or died of shock in the aftermath of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's (YSR) death has ironically led to large scale violence causing more grief and hardship to people as it left a trail of destruction and injury.

The ‘Odarpu Yatra’ (consolation tour) undertaken by YSR's son and MP, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy , on Friday resulted in injuries to scores of people, including 10 persons in police firing.

Warangal, the hot-bed of the agitation for a separate Telangana state, remained tense as Reddy, defying the advice of many including the Congress high command, commenced his tour by boarding Intercity express train Friday morning.

Violence continued even after Reddy was taken into preventive custody at Wangapalli railway station and his tour was aborted.

Rail passengers had a harrowing time as the operations of 18 trains were either cancelled or suspended partially. An additional 15 trains, including the Delhi-bound were held up due to bomb threat. The Telangana Joint Action Committee called for a bandh in Telangana on Saturday.