Hyderabad: Tension gripped the Regional
Transport Authority (RTA) office at Khairtabad here on Tuesday when
pro-Telangana leaders and supporters forcibly entered the
premises after being allegedly denied permission.
The statehood leaders, including Telangana Political
Joint Action Committee(TPJAC) members, were particularly angry
that a Congress MP from Andhra region, Lagadapati Rajagopal,
(Vijayawada) was allowed inside the RTA office and that they
were prevented.
Rajagopal had gone to RTA office to meet P Srinivas,
an Additional Commissioner of Transport who was "assaulted"
yesterday by Telangana supporters over withdrawal of showcause
notices issued to employees who are participating in the
general strike in the region in support of statehood demand.
Tempers ran high when some leaders of TRS and Congress
(from Telangana region) reached RTA office after receiving
information that Rajagopal was inside the RTA premises. They
insisted they too should be allowed inside the premises. When
denied permission, the Telangana leaders got into heated
arguments with the police over the matter.
Police intervened and detained some agitators when
Telangana supporters and their leaders gatecrashed inside the
RTA office. The protesters also argued with Transport
Commissioner Hiralal Samariya after entering his chamber.
Meanwhile, Rajagopal was detained and shifted him to
Jubilee Hills police station, apparently to prevent any
untoward incident, a police officer said.
There was some commotion in front of the police
station when a group of pro-Telangana advocates staged a
protest there, but the situation was brought under control,
the officer said.
The detained Telangana supporters, including TRS MLA
Harish Rao, Nizamabad Congress MP Madhu Yaski, Congress MLA P
Vishnuvardhan Reddy and scores of activists, were taken to
Punjagutta police station and later released.
Meanwhile, the general strike (Sakal Janula Samme), called
in support of separate Telangana state, entered the 15th day
today with different types of protests held in all
districts of the region.
Punjagutta Police have registered a case under IPC Section
353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from
discharge of his duty) against B Suman, a Telangana student
leader of Osmania University, and others in connection with
the alleged assault on RTA official Srinivas.
PTI
