Telangana bandh begins, students target buses

HYDERABAD: The Telangana bandh called by students of Osmania University against the conduct of APPSC exams on Sunday evoked partial response in the state capital and elsewhere, even as protesters targeted state-owned buses and pelted stones at them.

The day-long bandh, called by Osmania University students and supported by political parties like the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi, began at 9.30 AM.

As soon as the bandh began, protesters and students targeted state-run Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses in capital Hyderabad, Karimnagar and other cities in the sensitive Telangana region.

A bus was set on fire in Karimnagar and stones were also pelted at several buses at various places in the region.

The students gave the bandh call in protest against the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission exams scheduled for on Sunday and threatened to disrupt them. They are demanding a 42 quota for students from the Telangana region in the APPSC jobs.

But, the exams began at various centres across the state amid elaborate security arrangements.

The state police had thrown a three-tier security layer around the examination centres to prevent any disturbance by the protesters.

The police have imposed prohibitory orders against gathering of people in the vicinity of the examination centres in the Telangana region.

Meanwhile, students and political leaders from non- Telangana region have demanded that the examination be held as scheduled as it was already postponed twice.

TRS activists and other Telangana supporters held sit-in in front of bus stations in Warangal, Karimnagar, Nalgonda and other districts. However, the city buses were operating almost normally in Hyderabad.

Police have taken TRS activists and other Telangana supporters into preventive custody.

Senior TRS leader N Narasimha Reddy was taken into custody at his residence in Hyderabad. Talking to reporters, he condemned the police action.

Meanwhile, the four students from Osmania University, who began an indefinite hunger strike yesterday, continued their protest.

They have demanded that the state Ministers, ruling Congress and TDP MLAs from Telangana region put pressure on state government to cancel the examination or quit their posts if they fail to do so.