AP Simmers, Burns

The agitation for a united state of Andhra Pradesh, even if turning violent, can best be described as colourful. Telangana supporters continue to allege that these protests are sponsored, but these allegations only feed the raging fire - in the rest of Andhra Pradesh - that is now attaining dramatic shades. Fasts-to-death are commonplace everywhere, and there’s more.

Krishna district is on a 48-hour bandh, transport facilities have been halted, and business centers have been closed. A 400 km bike rally by was organized by the TDP in Vijayawada.

In Guntur, the TDP MLAs fasting there even bathed on the road this morning. Elsewhere in the Andhra region, students started painting slogans on buses, demanding to know why their strikes are seen as artificial while those by students from OU are respected as genuine.

In Vizag, lawyers began a relay hunger strike, and demonstrations were carried out using effigies of KCR and Chidambaram. In Eluru, the fast-unto-death by the MLA has entered its 4th day, and here, KCR’s effigy was burnt and students took part in rallies.

Even school kids are joining in these strikes. Nannapaneni, in a public demonstration, has asked KCR to apologize to the students whose careers are now in jeopardy owing to the prolonged disturbance in the state.

TDP MLAs began their bus yatra in Tirupati. In Anantapur, the hunger strike that Paritala Sunitha, Palle Raghunatha Reddy and Parthasarathy were undertaking was disrupted by police who hustled them to a hospital. Sunitha is reported as having an infection.

In Hyderabad, the 4 JAC members who were re-arrested have been released. I G Anuradha has told people that the police are told to accompany politicians leaders for the safety of the politicians, and that arrests or preventive action taken should not be mistaken for police atrocities.