Communist Party of India (CPI) activists staged a demonstration near the U. S. Consulate in Hyderabad protesting the visit of US President Barack Obama.
CPI senior leader K. Narayana and party MLA Gunda Mallesh accompanied by party workers carrying red flags tried to proceed towards the Consulate when they were stopped by the large posse of police personnel. After initial resistance, the protestors were bundled into waiting police vans and taken away.
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Vehicular traffic on the busy Paradise-Begumpet stretch was thrown out of gear for some time. Police had a tough time handling the demonstrators. Adding to their woes were a large number of Airtel mobile customers making a beeline to the Customer Care office close to the US Consulate to make enquiries after the mobile telephony services was disrupted for over six hours.
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Activists of the CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist), SUCI, Forward Block, RSP and CPI (ML-Liberation) burnt an effigy of the US President at Basheerbagh Press Club protesting the latter’s visit. The left parties in the city had given a call to hold protest demonstrations.