Wednesday’s “Chalo Assembly” organised by newly formed Telangana Democratic Front (TDF) turned out to be a battle of wits for its activists and police, with both succeeding in their missions.
While TDF workers emerged at several central parts of the city hoodwinking massive contingents of police deployed since last night, the latter succeeded in confining them to fringes of the Assembly. Barring a few activists of Viplava Rachayithala Sangham and Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika – who managed to reach closer to one of the gates of the Assembly- all participants of Chalo Assembly were picked up as soon as they were spotted.
Several hundreds of TDF -comprising 10 Left parties and over 370 different organisations- activists and leaders were taken into preventive custody.
They were shifted to two different police stations and let off in the evening. TDF planned the programme protesting the alleged torture and slaying of two Maoists, Shruthi and Venkat Reddy, recently by the police in Warangal district in an exchange of fire.
As the police refused permission citing security reasons to the proposed rally by TDF, the latter announced that it would march to the Assembly come what may.
Check-posts were set up at all entry points to the city to detain TDF activists coming from districts to city.
Commissioner’s Task Fore sleuths picked up some students from Osmania University hostels late on Tuesday night while huge police teams were deployed at all places where the rally participants were anticipated to turn up. A security blanket was thrown over the vicinity of the Assembly.
All roads leading to the Assembly were fortified with barbed wires and steel barricades. Notwithstanding these steps, TDF activists took the police off guard by emerging at different places like the offices of Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist. CPI and CPI(M) leaders Chada Venkat Reddy and Tammineni Veerabhadram were taken into custody as they staged a sit-in on the road after coming out from Sundaraiah Vignana Kendra.
