T-bandh evokes mixed response

The bandh called by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in protest against the manner in which the Andhra Pradesh government handled the “Chalo Assembly” on Friday evoked partial response in the region.

Refusing to support the day-long shutdown, the BJP, CPI and other constituents of the Telangana joint action committee (T-JAC) said that the TRS took a unilateral decision.
While normal life was affected in five districts of the Telangana region, there was lukewarm response in Hyderabad. Schools and colleges remained closed for the second consecutive day in most places in the 10 districts of the region.

Shops and business establishments were closed in several parts of Warangal, Medak, Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) ran partial services in the region. City buses and intra-city MMTS train service operated normally.

The police arrested several TRS leaders and activists at various places in the region when they staged a sit-in outside the APSRTC depots. TRS legislator Harish Rao and his supporters were arrested at the Siddipet APSRTC depot in Medak district.  The police kept some legislators and leaders under house arrest. Unidentified persons in Mahbubnagar district torched an APSRTC bus on Friday night. Meanwhile, the South Central Railway in a statement has confirmed that all trains in the region are running as per schedule.

In a separate incident, Bandaru Srinivas, an engineering student from Mahabubnagar district, was found hanging from a tree opposite the Osmania University library on Saturday. His friends told the police that he was depressed over the delay in the formation of Telangana state.

The police later shifted the body to Gandhi Hospital where an autopsy was conducted.
Osmania University students joint action committee demanded the police to hand over the body to facilitate students to pay tribute. T-JAC chairman M Kodandaram, state BJP chief G Kishan Reddy and several leaders visited the hospital to pay their last respects to Srinivas.