'Chalo Assembly' protest bid foiled, 1,400 Telangana activists held
'Chalo Assembly' protest bid foiled, 1,400 Telangana activists held
Hyderabad: March by pro-Telangana parties to the Andhra Pradesh assembly was foiled on Friday by the police, who took into preventive custody around 1400 statehood activists, including senior leaders of TRS and BJP, and blocked all roads leading to the legislature building here.
A massive security arrangement was made for the 'Chalo Assembly' protest march organised to press for the creation of a separate Telangana state.
"The security arrangements ensured that the protest passed off peacefully. The attempt by protesters to proceed towards the Assembly and disrupt the proceedings was foiled as they could not reach the Assembly premises," a senior police officer told PTI.
Around 900 protesters were taken into preventive custody under Hyderabad Police Commissionerate while 476 were taken into custody under Cyberabad Police Commissionerate besides scores of statehood supporters were also detained and taken into custody in different Telangana districts, the officer said.
Those taken into custody were later let off, he said.
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Amid fears of violence, the police turned the Andhra Pradesh Capital into a fortress by deploying about 10,000 policemen and 20 companies of central para-military personnel.
Prohibitory orders were imposed in Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates to ensure smooth functioning of the Assembly, which is in session, and to prevent any untoward incident.
Several roads leading to the Legislative Assembly were closed and only government, emergency personnel and media persons were allowed after thorough checks on way to the Assembly and Secretariat buildings.
The Assembly was adjourned for the day around noon without transacting any real business as TRS, BJP, CPI and other pro-Telangana parties stalled the proceedings over the statehood issue.
A high drama was also witnessed in the Assembly premises with two TRS MLAs climbing the TRS Legislature Party office building and threatening to jump off.
Holding black flags, they demanded that those detained in connection with the 'Chalo Assembly' be released forthwith. The MLAs were, however, brought down by the security personnel after about an hour.
Meanwhile, other TRS MLAs burnt an effigy of 'Seemaandhra government' near the legislators' entrance gate.
State police rounded up a number of TRS, BJP, CPI and other pro-Telangana MLAs, leaders and activists to prevent them from going ahead with the 'Chalo Assembly' rally.
The police had denied permission to the protest rally suspecting that Maoists might infiltrate into it. Similar protests organised by the pro-Telangana groups earlier had turned violent.
The Osmania University, the hotbed of separate statehood agitation, witnessed see-saw battles between students and the security personnel for the third consecutive day. The protesting students pelted stones in and around the campus prompting police to fire teargas shells, police said.
"We observed lot of restrain, but they (protesters) continued to hurl stones at us. They insisted to go out of the campus to participate in the 'Chalo Assembly' agitation for which permission has already been denied," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Zone) R. Jaya Lakshmi told PTI.
Several security personnel and students sustained minor injuries in the clashes. Around 20 TRS, BJP and CPI MLAs, who were sitting at the two gates of the Assembly after it was adjourned, were detained.
Elsewhere, police took into custody T-JAC leader Kodandaram among scores of others near Indira Park here while they were attempting to march towards the Assembly.
Rebel Congress MPs Vivek and M Jagganath, who recently joined TRS, were also taken into custody by police when the duo tried to reach Assembly in support of the protest call.
The detained MLAs and other leaders were taken to different police stations in the city and let off later.
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