Hyderbad cops firm on foiling ‘Chalo Assembly’

Personnel take over areas within two kilometres radius of the Assembly; surrounding localities to be sealed off with multi-layered security

By taking over areas within two kilometres radius of the Assembly and sealing off surrounding localities with multi-layered security, the police are determined to foil the ‘Chalo Assembly’ called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) on Friday even as the committee leaders reiterated their resolve to go ahead with the programme “come what may”.

Already, additional forces have been drawn and some units of Rapid Action Force deployed at places like Osmania University campus.

Citing the example of violence during the Million March and Sagara Haaram programmes organised by the TJAC earlier, the government refused permission to the programme. The police are apprehending a re-run of such clashes during the proposed ‘Chalo Assembly’ rally and the announcement from Maoists pledging support to the programme and exhorting people to conduct it in a ‘militant fashion’ has made them jittery.

“The possibility of anti-social elements creating trouble cannot be ruled out,” Hyderabad Paolice Commissioner Anurag Sharma said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Giving permission to such agitations during the Assembly session was not possible and anyone taking law into their hands would be dealt with severely, he said. Not more than one person would be allowed to accompany a MLA while entering the Assembly premises. Seventeen check-posts were set up at different points in the city to check vehicles and suspects.

Ten SPs, 30 DSPs, 16 Inspectors, 300 SIs, 190 platoons of APSP, RAF and Border Security Force would be on security duty. Continuous surveillance would be kept on suspects and agitators using cameras. Officers would monitor the agitation by watching the video footage from the control room.

While Mr. Sharma said no person was bound over or taken into custody in connection with Chalo Assembly, the Cyberabad police announced that they had arrested 120 persons and bound over 250 persons. Orders prohibiting assembly of four or more persons from 6 p.m. on Wednesday to 6 a.m. on Saturday were issued in the commissionerates of Hyderabad and Cyberabad.