HYDERABAD: Amid chaotic scenes, violent protests and pitched battles between ‘locals’ and Left party activists, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) headed by M Kodandaram on Monday successfully “captured” the Dharna Chowk, which has been serving as the Jantar Mantar of Hyderabad for democratic protests.
Backed by opposition parties, Kodandaram organised “Capture Dharna Chowk”, a protest to opposing government’s move to relocate the venue from Indira Park to peripheral areas of Hyderabad.
The protest witnessed violent clashes between the activists of Left parties and local people who staged a competitive dharna at the venue seeking immediate relocation of the Dharna Chowk. Both the groups fought pitched battles by hurling chairs and sticks at each other, and turning the place into a battleground.
Though the police granted permission for pro and anti-Dharna Chowk demonstrations at the eleventh hour (Monday morning), the way security personnel erected barricades and imposed restrictions on the movements of protesters attracted the wrath of the Left parties.
Some of the irate Left party members clashed with the police for allowing locals to stage a dharna inside the Dharna Chowk, while stopping them a few metres away. In the melee, a direct confrontation took place between Left activists and locals, who were staging a dharna in support of the government’s move. CPI activists damaged the chairs and also hurled the chairs at the locals. Police resorted to a lathi-charge injuring about 20 activists of Left parties.
TJAC chairman Kodandaram and opposition leaders promptly blamed the police for the clashes between protesters and locals. “The counter protest by locals is orchestrated by the government. A majority of the participants in the dharna were plainclothesmen,” TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged.
The Hyderabad police, who had denied permission for the TJAC protest till Sunday night, announced on Monday morning that they were giving permission for “both” groups to hold dharnas at Dharna Chowk.
Kodandaram has the last laugh
Kodandaram, whose earlier attempts to hold an unemployment rally at Dharna Chowk and ‘2K Run’ were foiled by the police by arresting him before hand, succeeded in making the protest a success this time
Biryani packets for counter-protesters
Biryani packets and water bottles for pro-government demonstrators were brought in a government vehicle (AP 29 T 7823). Some plainclothesmen distributed these biryani packets to ‘locals’ sitting on protests at the venue
Dharna sponsored by State?
Posing as locals, policewomen of the city and some TRS activists participated in the counter protest organised in support of the government’s move to shift the Dharna Chowk from Indira Park. Interestingly, these ‘locals’ shouted slogans in support of the government’s move. Further, many cops in plainclothes monitored the situation.