HYDERABAD: Tension prevailed in parts of the capital city on Wednesday as police foiled an attempt by various people’s organisations, including political parties like CPI, CPM to march towards the Assembly, to protest against encounter deaths in the state. The police detained hundreds of activists, who were released later.
Responding to the ‘Chalo Assembly’ call given by Telangana Democratic Forum (TDF), hundreds of activists gathered at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram (SVK) in Baghlingampally Wednesday morning to register their protest against the alleged fake encounters in Telangana.
CPI secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, CPM state secretary T Veerabhadram, revolutionary writer Varavara Rao and other prominent leaders were arrested right from the starting point of the rally at Sundrayya Vignana Kendram.
“The government should be open to discuss the issue of fake encounters on the floor fof the Assembly and ensure that police personnel involved in such incidents are punished. Though police took more than 10,000 activists into custody to stop the rally, we have succeeded to highlight the problem,” said Venkat Reddy, while being taken into custody.
Tension prevailed in the city for over an hour, as police chased away the protesters. More than 300 persons, belonging to Leftist organisations like AIDWA, PDSU and SFI were taken into preventive custody and sent to various police stations at Gandhinagar, Kanchanbagh and Saidabad.
Leaders of various minority groups like Amjed Ullah Khan of Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) were also detained at their residences in Old City before they could reach the venue.
When students from Leftist organisations tried to take out a march towards Vidyanaga, police blocked the OU entrance gate and prevented them from moving ahead.
To register their protest against the denial of freedom to protest, SFI, PDSU and other Leftist students’ organisations have given a call for education bandh at OU on Thursday.