The first day of the 48-hour Telangana bandh paralysed normal life and public transport system in Hyderabad and Telangana region with several sporadic incidents of violence being reported.
The bandh from last midnight was called by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) demanding separate statehood and in support of the fast-unto-death by party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Pro-Telangana supporters resorted to road and rail blockades besides damaging public and government properties including bank ATMs, setting fire to a hotel and indulged in vandalism here in the state capital and Telangana region to press for their demand for a separate state.
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Streets in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad wore a deserted look with business establishments, hotels and petrol pumps remaining closed even as bus services run by private owners were suspended.
The movement of train services including AP Express, Kerala Express and some goods trains was disturbed after TRS activists stopped them at Uppal, Jammikunta and Ragampuram railway stations in Karimnagar district this morning, a South Central Railway (SCR) official said.
“The protesters blocked train movements by squatting on tracks and even removed clips and plates of tracks at different places in Karimnagar district, but our engineers carried out repairs and restored the train services,” the official said, adding that police intervened and pulled away the agitators from the tracks.
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A report from Karimnagar said a bus was set afire by miscreants while two unidentified persons poured petrol on the car of Ramagundam MLA S Satyanaryana, but police caught hold of them before they could set the car ablaze.
In Mahabubnagar town, TRS activists allegedly damaged the statue of Telugu Talli (portrayed as symbol of Telugu people), and were taken into custody by police while in Warangal, Swami Ayyappa devotees took to streets raising pro-Telangana slogans.
TRS activists observed a hunger strike in Karimnagar, Jagtial, Dharmapuri towns. Some TRS activists damaged the office of INTUC at Godavarikhani town in Karimnagar.