'Sadak Bandh' success for Telangana, Road blockade on Hyderabad highway

Hyderabad: TRS, BJP and other pro-Telangana organisations today began a 'Sadak Bandh' (road blockade) on the Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway in support of the separate statehood demand even as police denied permission for it.

Leaders and workers of TRS, BJP and other organisations tried to enforce the blockade since morning by squatting on the roads.

The blockade is being carried out from Mahabubnagar district, neighbouring Rayalaseema region, to Hyderabad. The'Sadak Bandh' supporters chose various places on the highway to enforce the agitation. Police, which made elaborate security arrangements, detained some of the protesting leaders and took them away to enable normal traffic resumption.

TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is in Delhi to attend the Parliament session condemned the alleged arrests of the leaders and activists and demanded their immediate release.

Meanwhile, police made elaborate security arrangements on Hyderabad-Bangalore national highway (NH-7) in view of "Sadak Bandh" (road blockade).TRS, TJAC, BJP and other pro-Telangana organisation have given a call for "Sadak Bandh" from Shamshabad in Rangareddy district to Alampur in Mahabuubnagar district. The parties had also planned to stop vehicular traffic entering Telangana region from Rayalaseema through Kurnool district.

Additional forces were deployed near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad on city outskirtshere which falls on Hyderabad-Bangalore highway, police said.

TRS floor leader in the state Assembly Etala Rajender,MLAs Harish Rao, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, K Tarak Rama Rao,son of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, MLC Swami Goud and Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) leaders were among over five hundred activists taken into preventive custody at various places when they held protests and squatted on theroad disrupting the vehicular traffic between Hyderabad and Kurnool districts, police said. TJAC chairman Kodandaram was also taken into custody near Alampur in Mahabubnagar district.