Amid high drama, fasting Naidu evicted from Andhra Bhavan

The TDP chief is shifted to a city hospital from the venue of his fast at Andhra Bhavan in central Delhi

On the fifth day of his hunger strike against Telangana creation, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was forcibly evicted by police from Andhra Bhavan here amid high drama and chaos and shifted to a hospital where he continued his fast.

As soon as a large posse of Delhi police descended on Andhra Bhavan near India Gate at around 2.30 PM, hundreds of slogan-shouting TDP workers tried to block them from evicting their leader.

Heckling and jostling broke loose on the premises and police had to use mild force to make their way towards the podium where Naidu was sitting. Women cadres of the party were in the lead in trying to block the way of the police.

The Naidu supporters vandalised the place, shouting slogans against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, burning her effigies and hurling slippers at the banners of Gandhi and Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.

They also laid siege of the ambulance which the police had brought to ferry Naidu to hospital.

A portion of the pandal set up on the premises for the event was also pulled down by the irate TDP supporters.

After the high drama and chaos that lasted nearly an hour, 63-year-old Naidu was taken away by police in the ambulance as a result of their persuasion.

The TDP workers tried to stop the ambulance from leaving the premises but police dodged them by misleading them.

Accompanied by some relatives and TDP MPs, he was taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Naidu was on hunger strike in the premises since Monday to protest against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and demanding "justice" for all. Andhra Pradesh government had said his protest in the premises was "unathorised" and requested the police to evict him.