Police, Women Leaders Fall Out

The alleged police misbehaviour with Telangana JAC leaders at the main entrance of the Secretariat on Saturday morning enraged Telangana employees who expressed their resentment by holding dharna and raising anti-police slogans.

The issue blew out of proportion when Textiles and Handlooms Minister P Shankar Rao lent his support to the dharna and expressed his solidarity with the striking employees.

Following the minister, TRS leader Etela Rajender and Telangana Jagruthi leader K Kavitha also sat in the dharna.

TPJAC Convenor Kodandaram, BJP leaders G Kishen Reddy and Bandaru Dattatreya, too, condemned the police behaviour later.

The incident occurred when a police officer allegedly prevented women JAC leaders from entering the Secretariat premises. The women JAC leaders took umbrage at the alleged police high-handedness and alerted the Secretariat NGOs, who reached the spot raising anti-police slogans and held demonstration.

The JAC leaders said that they were invited to take part in the discussions with a Group of Ministers for talks on the non-cooperation movement. They said that they were humiliated by the government.

NGOs Chairman Swamy Goud, Devi Prasad, Srinivas Goud and Vittal were allowed to enter, but the women JAC leaders Mamta, Ranjani and Rachel could not enter as the police did not allow them to proceed.

When an argument ensued between the police and the women leaders, the police allegedly threatened that they would throw the leaders into the nearby Hussain Sagar.

Soon the word spread that the women JAC leaders had been humiliated leading to the 'stir' intensifying, and the dharna.

The employees, within the premises, raised slogans in favour of Telangana by holding placards displaying 'Telangana is our birth right' and 'We want Telangana'. Later, they marched to the main road and held demonstration.

They were later joined by the minister who also participated in the 'dharna' in front of the main gate. The minister expressed his concern over the incident and assured to complain to the Director General of Police K Arvinda Rao and the Intelligence chief to address the problem.

He said that it was wrong on the part of the police to have blocked the women JAC leaders and misbehave with them who were invited by the members of the Group of Ministers for talks. The minister was with the agitating leaders for over an hour.

Among others, the participants of the impromptu protest demanded that the police belonging to the Seemandhra region be removed within 24 hours, failing which they said they would intensify their stir.

The employees also organised a 'rasta roko' on the main road in front of the Secretariat gates holding up traffic movement for over an hour. This immediately had a ripple effect, leading to further traffic snarls on the roads leading to Liberty and Assembly.

The Central Zone DCP Akun Sabharwal stepped in and requisitioned for deployment of additional forces as a preventive measure. Dr. Sabharwal also assured to take action against the erring cops.

Courtesy: INN