Tank Bund along the Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of Hyderabad was turned into a fortress and normally busy roads wore a deserted look on Saturday as the police imposed restrictions to foil the proposed “Million March Spirit” programme of Telangana Joint Action Committee.
Hundreds of workers and a large number of leaders including the TJAC convener Kodandaram were taken into custody as the traffic was diverted to other routes.
TJAC along with the left parties and other mass organisations had called for the meeting on the 7th anniversary of the “Million March” of 2011, organised as part of the struggle for separate Telangana State at the same place.
While Kodandaram alleged that the K Chandrasekhar Rao Government had resorted to oppressive measures to curb the democratic rights of the people, Hyderabad city police commissioner V V Srinvas Rao said, “permission was not granted for any meeting on Tank Bund today. As some people still gave a call to the people to gather at Tank Bund, police had to impose the restrictions to maintain law and order”. He said that the restrictions would remain in force from 11 am till 5 pm.
“The present Government is worse than the Government of united Andhra Pradesh”, said Kodandaram condemning the police crackdown. He and other TJAC leaders had announced that despite the denial of permission by the police they will go ahead with their programme.
Referring to the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s announcement that he would protest in Delhi for the State, Kodandaram in a statement asked, “As the CM, when he can fight in Delhi why cant a common man fight for their rights here in the State”.
“The State Government should realise that they can not repress the aspirations of Telangana people through arrests and illegal detentions”, he said.
While Kodandram was arrested near his residence as soon as he left for the meeting, CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy was taken into custody at Makhdoom Bhavan.