Hyderabad, Jan 27: Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA K T Rama Rao and other leaders and activists of different pro-Telangana organisations were today taken in custody when they attempted to participate in the ‘Samara Deeksha' protest at Indira Park here.
Hyderabad Police has already denied the Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) permission to organise a 36-hour ‘Samara Deeksha' at Indira Park over the statehood demand.
Despite the denial of permission, Rama Rao, the MLA from Sircilla, and others tried to march towards the protest venue when they were prevented by police and taken into custody.
Telangana MLAs gathered in front of the Gandhi statue in Andhra Pradesh Assembly premises and were holding a dharna condemning the police for denying permission.
Tension also prevailed on the Osmania University campus when a group of pro-Telangana students pelted police with stones when they were prevented from taking out a rally in support of the protest towards Raj Bhavan.
Police have made elaborate security arrangements at various places in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh as a precautionary measure.
Police has barricaded the routes toward Indira Park and diverted traffic at different places including Assembly.
T-JAC chairman M Kodandaram had yesterday urged the people of the region to converge in large numbers at the protest venue.
The Telangana leaders were proposing to organise ‘Samara Deeksha' to take the separate statehood movement forward.
The Telangana activists were seeking to step up pressure on the Centre through ‘Samara Deeksha' to press for a decision in favour of Telangana state.
Police had denied permission to T-JAC to hold the protest as they contended possibility of anti-social elements sneaking into ‘Deeksha' camp and creating a law and order problem.
Police had said they had specific intelligence inputs that the protesters may resort to “violence” as was done earlier during the ‘Million March' and ‘Telangana March' on Necklace road here.
After being pelted with stones, police responded by lobbing teargas shells to disperse the protesting pro-Telangana students on Osmania University (OU) campus.
The protesting students took out a bike rally on the OU campus and were proposing to march towards Raj Bhavan as part of their plan to lay siege it, but were stopped by police near NCC gate after which the protesters argued with them and squatted on road.
They later hurled stones on police personnel, who retaliated by firing tear-gas shells.
There were reports of injuries to at least three students even as security forces picked up the protesting students.
The campus reverberated with protesters shouting ‘Jai Telangana' and ‘police go back' slogans.
Meanwhile, about a hundred Telangana activists were arrested in various parts of Karimnagar district for attempting to participate in ‘samara deeksha'.
Among those arrested were Telangana Political Joint Action Committee chairman Venkatamallaiah and JAC convener Ravi.
