The bandh called in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh to press for statehood demand and recent suicides by two pro-Telangana supporters in Warangal today passed off peacefully, police said.
The shutdown, called by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), was near total in Warangal, Karimnagar and Medak districts where shops, business establishments and private educational institutions remained shut. It evoked a mixed
response in other Telangana districts and the state capital.
“The bandh passed off peacefully and pro-Telangana activists resorted to road blockades and took out bike rallies in various parts of the region and Hyderabad,” a senior police officer told PTI.
TRS had called for bandh over the suicides by MBA student Bhojya Naik and auto-driver Rajamouli who immolated themselves allegedly for Telangana cause since Saturday last in Warangal district and also to protest the Centre and state government’s “indifferent attitude” to the statehood issue.
Around 200 activists belonging to different pro- Telangana groups were taken into preventive custody when they came out on the streets and tried to enforce the bandh in the city, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan told reporters.
It was business as usual for the IT industry in Hyderabad. However, some of the banks and commercial
establishments located in sensitive areas remained closed.
The shutdown was supported by Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), Osmania University JAC, Telangana Vidyarthi Ikya Vedika (TVIV) and other pro-statehood outfits.
In view of SSC and other examinations, bus services of the state-run transport undertaking, APSRTC, were exempted from the bandh call
