Hyderabad, February 23: Life came to standstill in Hyderabad, except in old city, on Monday with all sections responding positively to the two-day bandh call given by pro-Telangana organisations while the Osmania University campus continued to be tense as students clashed with police.
Over 300 persons of different political parties and pro-Telangana organisations, including Telangana Political Joint Action Committee convenor professor Kodandaram and TRS MLA T. Harish Rao, were taken into preventive custody. They were let off in the evening.
Non-cooperation
With the employees of Telganana already observing non-cooperation for the past few days, the government offices wore a deserted look. Almost all private educational institutions voluntarily declared holidays on Tuesday and Wednesday. Places of entertainment, even the Ramoji Film City, too, remained closed while shopping malls, theatres, petrol bunks, bars, banks, hotels and roadside eateries were shut. Entire public transport system came to a grinding halt with RTC authorities cancelling all city bus services. Buses didn’t ply in old city which was not affected by the bandh call.
Auto-rickshaw drivers, usually accused of fleecing passengers during such situations, too, kept off the road. In an unusual development, workers of the RTC depots voluntarily observed bandh and joined protestors at their respective depots.
Courts boycotted
Advocates boycotted the courts at Nampally, Secunderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. Workers of private factories also took out rallies at Jeedimetla, Bollarum and Cherlapally industrial areas, pledging solidarity with the bandh call. Fourth-class workers of the GHMC actively took part in bandh enforcement at many areas and demonstrated at their respective offices.
Ten policemen were injured in the heavy stone pelting by students at Osmania University police station. Police extensively used stun grenades and teargas canisters to confine the protestors to campus.
A couple of students and a laundry worker sustained injuries when they were hit by the shells. Twenty pro-Telangana visually challenged students who marched to the OU were intercepted and sent back to their hostel in Malakpet. Boarders of Nizam college hostel, located at a stone’s throw from the Assembly, clashed with police and hurled stones at them. The hostel witnessed violent protests on Monday when the boarders were prevented from rushing towards the assembly. Nineteen of them were arrested and remanded in judicial custody till March 7.
-Agencies