Telangana shutdown evokes mixed response

Normal life was affected in five districts but there wasn't much impact in other districts including Hyderabad

The day-long Telangana shutdown called by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to condemn arrests during Friday's march to seek separate Telangana state evoked partial response in the region on Saturday.

The normal life was affected in five districts but there was not much impact in other districts including Hyderabad.

Educational institutions were closed across the region, which comprises 10 districts. Shops and business establishments were closed in several parts of Warangal, Medak, Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts.

The state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) was running partial services in the region. Its city services in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were running as usual but most of the buses leaving for Telangana districts were cancelled due to lack of passengers.

Police arrested several TRS leaders and activists at various places in the region when they staged a sit-in outside the APSRTC depots since early morning to stop buses from coming out.

TRS legislator Harish Rao and his supporters were arrested outside the depot at Siddipet in Medak district. The police kept some legislators and leaders under house arrest

All trains in the region are running as per the schedule, said South Central Railway.

Unidentified people set afire a bus and damaged window panes of another bus in Mahabubnagar district last night.

TRS has called for the shutdown to protest what it call repressive measures of the government to foil 'chalo assembly' called by Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) to press the demand for separate state.

Hundreds of people were arrested by police in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana Friday.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India and other constituents of JAC are not supporting the shutdown call. They said TRS took a unilateral decision.