Hyderabad appears to be on the edge with both APNGOs and Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) taking positions for their respective forms of protest on Sept 7.
The APNGOs are keen on organising a public meeting at LB Stadium in support of Samaikyandhra, while the TJAC has given a call for 24-hour Telangana bandh beginning Friday midnight to protest against chief minsiter N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s attempts to stymie Telangana process.
Both the sides are determined to go ahead with their programmes even as the police are making elaborate security arrangements to prevent breakdown of law and order. There are enough forces available in the city mobilised for the coming Ganesh festival and they would be deployed to prevent or contain trouble on Sept 7.
Coming under fire from Telangana protagonists for according permission to APNGOs public meeting while denying the same to TJAC for taking out a peace rally on the same day (which the TJAC has, however, cancelled on Thursday), Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma offered to grant permission if the “other groups” choose any day after Sept 7.
Asked if permission was given to the APNGOs at the instance of the chief minister as was being alleged by the TJAC, Anurag Sharma denied it. “It was not like that,” he said.
He ruled out permission for the “peace rally” on the same day as there was scope for violence. “Permission was given to APNGOs on first-cum-first served basis. The APNGOs applied for permission on Aug 20 and ‘other groups’ approached much later,” he said, implying TJAC and MRPS.
He said permission for rallies would not be given to anyone whether it is APNGOs or “other groups” since there is a likelihood of anti-social elements creating trouble in the guise of demonstrators.
Meanwhile, the High Court reserved verdict for Friday on a petition seeking its intervention for cancellation of permission given to APNGOs. The petition was filed by Telangana lawyers and hearings concluded on Thursday. While this is so, MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga called a bandh on Sept 7 in protest against denial of permission for holding a public meeting on Sept 6.
“MRPS sought to hold a meeting just one day ahead of APNGOs. This will create problems. That is why we have rejected permission for MRPS,” Anurag Sharma said.
TJAC chairman Kodandaram said, “Instead of peace rally, we will express our resentment by taking part in the bandh. Seemandhra leaders are inciting people in Andhra and Rayalaseem into agitation, arguing that if Telangana state is created, it would deny river waters to them.”
While this is so, APNGOs insist that it is their right to hold a public meeting in the capital city. “We will ensure discipline in the conduct of the public meeting. I do not understand why there is so much din over our public meeting,” APNOGs president P Ashok Babu said, wondering why they shuldn’t invite leaders of political parties to the public meeting.
“Did only employees turn up for meeting organised by Telangana employees union?” he asked even as the police commissioner said they have yet to take a decision on whether to allow politicians to take part in the public meeting. “Let me take a look at whether we could allow them,” Anurag Sharma said.
Police, on their part, will be deploying huge forces in and around LB Stadium. They want to take a closer look at every one who attends the public meeting. APNGO volunteers would identify the employees who turn up at the venue, even though they have ID cards since it is possible that Telangana employees might gain entry into the venue.
As far as APNGOs are concerned, permission granted to them to hold the public meeting is subject to fulfilling 19 conditions, which include taking responsibility for any damage to property or violence that might erupt at the venue.
“We have no dearth of police forces. We have 45 platoons of APSP, besides 11 companies of paramilitary forces. They include forces that have come for Ganesh festival bandobast. We are deploying forces inside LB Stadium to prevent breakdown of law and order,” Anurag Sharma said.
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