Telangana leader's arrest triggers violence in Andhra

Hyderabad: The decade-long movement for a separate Telangana state turned violent Sunday as thousands of activists including students came out on the streets paralysing the region.

The trouble began after Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhara Rao, known popularly as KCR, who had announced his intention to begin an indefinite fast, was arrested on his way to the Siddipet where he was to begin the hunger strike.

Violence and tension gripped the region as police stopped KCR in Karimnagar town along with a large number of other leaders and workers.

KCR, who was moved to Khammam district under tight security, was remanded in 14 days' judicial custody by second class magistrate Sree Rama Murth.

The police in Khammam booked a case against KCR for provocative speeches and creating discord among sections of people .

Two other TRS leaders, Naini Narasimha Reddy and K. Vijayrama Rao, were also remanded in custody along with KCR.

TRS along with several other organisations has called for a shutdown today to protest the arrest of KCR and "police brutality" against the students of Osmania University.

Several other organisations also declared support to the strike call. Telangana advocates have also announced boycotting of courts Monday.

Violent protests were triggered across the Telangana region including the state capital Hyderabad as the news of KCR's arrest spread. The police force, which was on alert for last few days fearing trouble, went into action and rounded up hundreds of TRS workers including its Member of Parliament Vijayshanti, several legislators including T. Harish Rao and K.T. Rama Rao, nephew and son respectively of KCR.

While Harish Rao's attempt at self-immolation was foiled by other party leaders and workers, another TRS supporter, a medical student Srikant, set himself ablaze in Hyderabad. He was admitted to hospital in a serious condition.

Raid

At least 50 students were injured when police baton charged them in the campus of Osmania University in Hyderabad after nearly 4,000 students came out to protest KCR's arrest.

Trouble started after the students tried to chase out policemen from the campus and threw stones at them and set furniture on fire. Police used force to disperse the crowd. Police also entered the hostel building on the campus when some students threw stones from the rooftop and one tried to self-immolate after pouring kerosene on himself.

With the news of KCR's arrest reaching Rangadhampally in Siddipet, the venue of the proposed fast, a senior legislator of TRS leader and KCR's nephew Harish Rao went on hunger strike in his place.

However, a couple of hours later, hundreds of policemen raided the place, where a few thousands workers and supporters had gathered. As police were moving towards the dais, Harish Rao poured petrol on his head and threatened to set himself ablaze if policemen did not go back. But other TRS leaders dissuaded him and police took him in to custody.

‘Suicide squad'

Later the police used force to disperse the crowd. Earlier, Harish Rao and other TRS leaders had threatened that at the hunger strike venue KCR will be surrounded by a "suicide squad" armed with kerosene and petrol bottles. "Police will not be allowed to enter the hunger strike camp. If police try to break KCR's fast and remove him from there, these supporters will commit self-immolation", Harish Rao had said.