Hyderabad, Sept 30: Telugu news television channels went off the air for over ten minutes on Sunday evening triggering suspicions that the police contingents were moving in to disperse the protestors participating in Telangana March on Necklace road, The Hindu reported.
The TV channels, which were providing a deferred live coverage of the meeting being addressed, went off the air only in Hyderabad.
The coverage of the event was, however, not hampered in other districts. No official was available to comment on the black out. The DTH services were, however, not affected.
When the transmission resumed ten minutes later, police had already moved in water cannons near the meeting site. The crowds were indulging in a see-saw battle with the policemen who were advancing towards the meeting site.
Tension had been escalating in the State capital after the protestors repeatedly clashed with the police at several places leading to lathicharges and lobbing of tear gas shells.
Two police vehicles, three OB vans of private news channels and the Necklace road railway station were set on fire by the protestors.
There was huge turnout for the Telangana March, christened ‘Sagara Haaram' called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) to press for bifurcation of the State.
The government permitted the programme from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the police stipulated that the participants must only come from Secunderabad side.
However, scores of people tried to reach the meeting place from Khairatabad and Secretariat side and clashed with the police which set up huge barricades.
Violent clashes broke out between pro-Telangana supporters and the police in several parts of the city when the activists defied prohibitory orders and joined the “Telangana March”.
Violating prohibitory orders, Telangana supporters headed towards the Necklace Road at Hussain Sagar lake, the venue of the event, and clashed with security personnel on their way.
Incidents of violence were reported from the Osmania University campus, Khairatabad and the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat.
When they were stopped from passing by the Secretariat Road and some other areas where prohibitory orders were in place, the protesters pelted stones and tried to remove the barricades
which prompted the security personnel to lob tear gas shells after trying to chase them away.
“Protesters were directionless on their way towards the venue. They tried to proceed through prohibited areas,” Director General (law and order) S.A. Huda said.
“We have been monitoring the situation. It is tense but under control,” he said.
The protesters torched two police vehicles at People's Plaza on the Necklace Road, police said.
Violence erupted on the Osmania University campus after pro-Telangana students clashed with police when they were prevented from taking out a rally to join the “Telangana March”.
Police used water cannons and lobbed teargas shells on pro-Telangana supporters near the venue as some of them allegedly tried to defy the orders and proceeded towards the Secretariat.
Permission was granted to organise the “Telangana March” from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Necklace Road, after talks were held between the government and the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC).
