Andhra Pradesh remains peaceful barring minor incidents

HYDERABAD - Andhra Pradesh Thursday remained peaceful barring violent incidents on Osmania University campus in Hyderabad and sporadic protests in some other parts of Telangana over the Srikrishna committee’s report on the Telangana issue.

With the committee suggesting a set of solutions to the Telangana tangle, the day largely passed off peacefully amid tight security involving deployment of central paramilitary forces.

Osmania University, which was the nerve centre of the Telangana agitation last year, was on the boil again after the report of the committee was made public.

Students demanding separate state of Telangana tried to take out a rally to the state secretariat but were prevented by police. The slogan-shouting students denouncing the report pelted stones on policemen, injuring two including a deputy commissioner of police.

Police retaliated by caning the students and firing teargas shells. Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OU JAC) alleged that five students were injured in the police action.

Condemning the report, OU JAC has also called for a Telangana shutdown Friday. It threatened to intensify the agitation if the central government failed to take steps for formation of Telangana state.

Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which comprises Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other groups fighting for a separate state, staged a sit-in at Indira Park in Hyderabad.

JAC convenor M. Kodandaram said a meeting of JAC would chalk out the agitation programme to pressurise the central government to table a bill in parliament during the budget session.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, Telangana Praja Front leader Gaddar and BJP leader Vidyasagar Rao also participated in the sit-in.

Students of Kakatiya University in Warangal staged a protest and set afire effigies of Srikrishna committee. Activists of TRS held similar protests in various parts of Telangana.

State Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy held a meeting with Director General of Police Aravinda Rao and other top officials to review the law and order situation.

She appealed to people, especially students, to exercise restraint and cooperate in maintaining law and order. “The committee has only given a report and the centre has not yet taken a decision,” she said.

Police and central paramilitary forces were deployed in Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana and some parts of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions to maintain law and order.

Security was further tightened at Osmania University after some students set afire a bus of state-owned Road Transport Corporation Wednesday night and damaged two buses in stone pelting.

Fifty companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed in addition to the state police forces across the state, the state police chief said.

Half of the paramilitary forces were deployed in Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerate limits. Five companies, each comprising 120 personnel, were deployed to provide security to IT firms in Cyberabad.

The paramilitary forces, including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), conducted flag marches in parts of Hyderabad.

Security has been beefed up at the residences of ministers and legislators, state assembly, secretariat and other vital installations in the state capital.