Hyderabad, December 08: Telangana on Monday remained on the boil and the 48-hour bandh called by TRS demanding separate statehood saw five more suicides, forcing a worried Centre to review its options.
The suicides on Monday took the death toll to 17. Seven others tried to end their lives and separate state activists resorted to arson, destruction of public and private properties and demolition of cell phone towers. Train passengers were the worst hit as TRS activists stopped trains for over six hours at some stations.
The rage has come as a surprise to the Centre as some thought, after the debacle of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti in the two polls early this year, that the movement lacked this kind of intensity. Targets of mob fury across the region included trains, buses, factories, residence of an MLA, a statue of Rajiv Gandhi and even a church.
A worried Congress leadership was forced to look at its options, with party chief Sonia Gandhi discussing the matter with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram and law minister Veerappa Moily.
Her political secretary Ahmed Patel also participated in the meeting convened urgently as worrried Congress MPs from Telangana beseeched the leadership to urgently take measures to pacify the protesters.
The leadership recognises the need for a swift response especially in view of the estimate that the situation might spiral out of control. It is worried about the growing involvement of students and the growing indication that they may soon dislodge TRS leadership to take control of the agitation. It was laying store by the all-party meeting called by the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, K L Rosiah, and hoping that it may help it buy some time with the separate state agitationists.
But it also seems to realise that tamping the movement may prove to be difficult, given its just-revealed intensity. On the other hand, finding a solution that can satisfy all the parties to the dispute that has simmered for many decades is going to be difficult, if not impossible. Political parties are split on the issue, with Left staunchly opposed to the separate demand and the BJP taunting Congress for ignoring the sentiments of Telangana.Congress is split, while the other important stakeholder, TDP which reversed its opposition to statehood for Telangana early this year is showing fresh signs of ambivalence.
More nettlesome will be to figure out the status of Hyderabad. Telangana camapaigners have included the city in their map, but this is sure to attract resistance from other parts in the state. Then again, government has to factor in the repercussions of the creation of Telangana for similar demands — Vidarbha, Gorkhaland, Harit Pradesh and others.
But the Telangana activists appeared to be in no mood to relent, with the spate of suicides only adding to the pressure on TRS and others to fight till the bitter end. After taking part in a TRS rally, G Venkateshwarlu, 45, hung himself to death at his home in Ande village in Mirdoddi mandal of Medak in the afternoon. He left a suicide note demanding separate Telangana. Another activist Narsing Nayak, 35, hung himself from a tree at Mamidipalli in Sangareddy mandal.
In Nalgonda district alone, three `T’ sympathisers committed suicide. TRS activist Satish haung himself at Veeravelli village in Bhongir mandal. “Prior to taking the extreme step, Satish took part in a rally and shouted Jai Telangana slogans,” the grieving parents said. Lingaiah of Nemmikallu in S Atmakuru mandal consumed pesticide at his home. He died later in a hospital. Mallesh of Palaram village in Nadigudem mandal consumed pesticide to end his life. “He died shouting Jai Telangana slogans. We have shifted the body for an autopsy,” a police official said.
A tribal girl, Janabai, 18, poured kerosene and torched herself during a TRS rally at Gauraram village in Gandhari mandal in Nizamabad in the afternoon. She suffered 80 per cent burns as doctors at the Banswada hospital said her survival chances were remote. A TRS activist Raju is battling for his life after he held a high tension electricity wire at Turkapadgam village in Kandi mandal of Medak. “Even as he experienced a powerful shock, Raju kept shouting Jai Telangana,” a relative said. In Karimnagar district four `T’ sympathisers attempted suicide.
In Adilabad district TRS activists vandalised the office of Sirpur paper mills at Kagaznagar by smashing the windowpanes and damaging furniture. At Thogutta in Medak, the activists went berserk and damaged the house of Dubbaka MLA Muthyam Reddy. Furniture was burnt, glass windows were broken and other household articles were strewn all over. The activists were lathicharged by the police.
The agitating activists set ablaze a church at Metpally in Karimnagar. In Warangal district, the cut trees to block road traffic. Thirteen students scaled a cell tower in Annaram village in Nizamabad district, while the protestors set afire the R&B guest house in Bodhan and a jeep on the MPDO office premises in Pitlam.
Tension prevailed in Kalleda village in Makhloor mandal when activists of two rival groups clashed with each other over vandalising Rajiv Gandhi statue. APSRTC suspended its bus services fearing attacks by the agitators. Advocates from the region boycotted the lower and High Court proceedings in support of the separate state demand. Earlier, police arrested 13 TRS activists for torching Nangunur MEO office in Medak on Saturday.
Over 200 TRS activists and villagers detained Secunderabad-bound Kerala Express coming from Delhi at Uppal station of Kamalapur mandal in Karimnagar district because of which movement of AP Express, Rajdhani Express and some other trains was severely affected. The Kerala Express was stopped at 10.30 am and allowed for its onward journey only at 5.30 pm putting the commuters through a torrid time.
The activists squatted on the railway tracks and refused to move. When the police and RPF personnel tried to disperse them, the irate activists pelted stones and continued their agitation causing untold agony to the passengers.
The TRS workers also detained Delhi-bound AP Express for some time at Kagaznagar station before they were dispersed by the Railway Protection Force men. A passenger train was halted at Kazipet station in Warangal district following a hoax bomb call and searches carried out.
-Agencies