Angered by the blocking of the Ramakrishnapuram-Lal Bazar road in Secunderabad by Armymen since November 28, the residents of Ramakrishnapuram, Asha Officers Colony, Shakti Nagar and Gandhi Nagar, and commuters staged a protest in the area on Sunday.
Since November 28 the roads leading from these colonies to Lal Bazar have been blocked by the Army without citing any reason. Even as the public interest litigation (PIL) over the issue is pending in court, Army officials have resorted to blockade.
Condemning the high-handedness of the Army, the residents protested on the Ramakrishnapuram-Lal Bazar stretch by shouting slogans against the Army from morning to afternoon but their protest yielded no result. About 250 gun-toting soldiers threatened them, the protesters alleged.
Secunderabad Cantonment MLA P Shankar Rao and Cantonment Board members visited the area and expressed solidarity with the protesters. The protesters sought the intervention of local MP and Union minister Sarve Satyanarayana to resolve the issue.
When contacted, north zone deputy commissioner of police R. Jayalakshmi said, “It is a Cantonment area under Army control. However, we asked the Army to cite the reasons for blockade of the road. They are yet to respond.”