Hyderabad: The first day of the 48-hour
Telangana bandh paralysed normal life and public transport
system in Hyderabad and Telangana region with several sporadic
incidents of violence being reported.
The bandh from last midnight was called by Telangana
Rashtra Samiti (TRS) demanding separate statehood and in
support of the fast-unto-death by party chief K Chandrasekhar
Rao.
Pro-Telangana supporters resorted to road and rail
blockades besides damaging public and government properties
including bank ATMs, setting fire to a hotel and indulged in
vandalism here in the state capital and Telangana region to
press for their demand for a separate state.
Streets in the twin cities of Hyderabad and
Secunderabad wore a deserted look with business
establishments, hotels and petrol pumps remaining closed even
as bus services run by private owners were suspended.
The movement of train services including AP Express,
Kerala Express and some goods trains was disturbed after TRS
activists stopped them at Uppal, Jammikunta and Ragampuram
railway stations in Karimnagar district this morning, a South
Central Railway (SCR) official said.
"The protesters blocked train movements by squatting
on tracks and even removed clips and plates of tracks at
different places in Karimnagar district, but our engineers
carried out repairs and restored the train services," the
official said, adding that police intervened and pulled away
the agitators from the tracks.
A report from Karimnagar said a bus was set afire by
miscreants while two unidentified persons poured petrol on the
car of Ramagundam MLA S Satyanaryana, but police caught hold
of them before they could set the car ablaze.
In Mahabubnagar town, TRS activists allegedly damaged
the statue of Telugu Talli (portrayed as symbol of Telugu
people), and were taken into custody by police while in
Warangal, Swami Ayyappa devotees took to streets raising
pro-Telangana slogans.
TRS activists observed a hunger strike in Karimnagar,
Jagtial, Dharmapuri towns. Some TRS activists damaged the
office of INTUC at Godavarikhani town in Karimnagar.
PTI
