Ugly scenes were witnessed on the High Court premises here on Friday with Seemandhra and pro-Telangana advocates clashing with wach other.
Around 40 advocates from both the groups were taken into preventive custody and forcibly shifted outside the main gate of the court while they held protests inside the court premises, police said.
It all started when Samaikyandhra advocates wanted to form a human chain from the High Court premises towards Madina Circle and the Telangana advocates wanting to prevent it.
The situation suddenly turned violent when the police who were deployed in large numbers near the gate stopped both the groups from going out of the gate. The Telangana advocates who have come in large numbers to obstruct the human chain, also tried to gatecrash. Both the groups jostled with each other near the gate.
Hearing ‘Jai Samaikyandhra’ slogans given by some Seemandhra advocates, some of the Telangana advocates pounced on them and physically assaulted them. About five Seemandhra advocates were injured in the attack and some women advocates were even abused.
Police intervened to bring the situation under control and dispersed the agitating advocates. The police, however, did not arrest any of them.
The protesting advocates belonging to both the regions raised slogans and counter slogans near the court premises.
Both the groups submitted written representations to the chief justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta with allegations and counter allegations following the incident.It is learnt that the chief justice has decided to call for a meeting with both the groups on Tuesday.
Seemandhra advocates accused their counterparts from Telangana region of ‘attacking’ them when they were planning to form a human chain against the move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. However, pro- Telangana advocates asserted that they were attacked by Seemandhra advocates.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma met the chief justice and submitted a report about the incident and measures taken by the police.
On the other hand, the APNGO association has condemned the incident and arrest of Seemandhra advocates.