Hyderabad, February 22: The ‘Chalo Assembly’ rally call given by Telangana Students Joint Action Committee (TSJAC) witnessed widespread violence at several places in the city today with pro-Telangana students going on a rampage by clashing with police and damaging public properties.
Tension prevailed in different locations of Hyderabad as pro-Telangana activists allegedly set fire to a bogie of MMTS train (local train), attacked a railway station and ransacked furniture, damaged at least five buses (including state-run and private) and also indulged in heavy stone pelting at police personnel in and around the Osmania University campus, the police said.
Despite prohibitory orders and heavy security around the Assembly building, scores of pro-Telangana students managed to reach near the building after the session was adjourned for tomorrow. However, the police chased them away and put them into vans.
“Over 150 agitators (girls and boys) were taken into custody near the Assembly as they tried to storm the premises,” a senior police officer told PTI adding no protester entered the Assembly premises.
Though five students tried to climb the Gate No.1 of the Assembly at around 4 pm, their attempt was also foiled, the officer said.
The TSJAC and different organisations had given a ‘Chalo Assembly’ call to press for introduction of Telangana Bill in the budget session of Parliament for carving out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh.
At the OU campus, police lobbed several rounds of tear-gar shells and used force to disperse the protesting students who pelted stones on them when they were prevented from taking out a rally from the varsity campus via Adikmet flyover.
The police also foiled attempts of the Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee which had planned ‘Chalo Raj Bhavan’ rally to give a representation to the Prime Minister through the Governor.
Scores of Telangana advocates were taken into custody as they tried to force their way towards Raj Bhavan near the Khairtabad area, police said.
Raising anti-police slogans over 100 girl students under the banner of PDSU staged a blind-folded protest near the Arts College and demanded immediate withdrawal forces from the OU campus.
Meanwhile, the statistics practical examinations of under-graduate courses of Osmania University that were scheduled on February 22 and 23 have been postponed, OU Registrar Prof V Kishan Rao said.
–IANS