The district police arrested Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M. Kodandaram and 11 others who had embarked on a tour to Singareni coal mines to express solidarity with the agitating employees on Sunday.
The police intercepted the van carrying Prof. Kodandaram and others at Pembarthi near Jangaon and took them into preventive custody and a case under Section 151 of the CrPC was booked against them. However, the arrested leaders agreed to go back to Hyderabad if let off.
The police provided an escort and allowed them to proceed to Hyderabad.
According to Jangaon DSP K. Nagaraju, when Prof. Kodandaram and others were being taken to Hyderabad, a group of Telangana activists at Alair staged a ‘rasta roko' demanding their release.
“We made a preventive arrest and we let them go when they agreed to return to Hyderabad,” he added.
The JAC leaders had set off on a tour to the Singareni coal mines to meet the striking employees.
They alleged that employees were being arrested and forcibly taken to work by the Singareni management.
With a view to express solidarity and keep the employees' morale high, the leaders took up the tour.
