Thousands of people violated ban orders and removed barricades to assemble at TankBund area here Thursday as part of the 'million march' demanding a separate Telangana state. Unmindful of the massive presence of police and paramilitary forces, Telangana activists reached Tank Bund from different directions around 1 p.m. and demanded that the central government introduce a bill in parliament for carving out a separate state.

Raising slogans of 'Jai Telangana' and holding flags of various parties, the activists reached Tank Bund from different directions, though the police had sealed all the surrounding routes for vehicles.
The protestors broke the police barricade and removed the barbed wires at Ambedkar statue and were heading towards the road along Hussain Sagar Lake. The policemen deployed there were outnumbered by the protestors.

The protestors included students, political workers, employees and others from Hyderabad and various districts of Telangana.Tension prevailed in the surrounding areas as police arrested legislators and leaders Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The legislators were arrested at Basheerbagh as they were heading towards Tank Bund in different groups.Police also arrested 200 students of Veterinary College when they were proceeding towards Tank Bund.

Earlier in the day, in an attempt to foil the million march demanding statehood for Telangana, the authorities cancelled 47 trains coming here from various parts of the region in Andhra Pradesh.
South Central Railway (SCR) cancelled four express trains and 43 passenger trains, connecting various districts of Telangana with Hyderabad.

The authorities also suspended Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) train services on three out of four routes in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and the outskirts.All schools and colleges in the state capital and neighbouring Ranga Reddy districts were shut as a precautionary measure. Shops and business establishments were also closed in most areas.

Police continued to arrest hundreds of people in entire Telangana comprising 10 districts, including Hyderabad, to foil the march. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader and former minister N. Narasimha Reddy was arrested near his house in Hyderabad.

Published Date : Friday, 11/3/2011 2:28 PM IST