RTC JAC Convener Ashwatthama Reddy Arrested

Even as the RTC employees' strike entered its 44th day today, the police arrested its top leader.

JAC convener Ashwatthama Reddy was picked up by the police from his residence at B N Reddy Nagar in Meerpet, on Sunday afternoon.

Reddy was been on a hunger strike at his house since yesterday, after the police foiled a Bus Roko program of the JAC and arrested some 5,000 striking RTC employees. The police had planned to pick him up yesterday itself but backed out after Reddy locked himself up in his house.

Some RTC workers were injured during the arrest.

Ashwatthama Reddy slammed Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for "suppressing" the striking RTC employees and for filing wrong reports in the High Court.

"After our withdrawal of the merger demand, KCR should hold talks, or we will continue protests," he said.

The JAC has been preparing for a Sadak Bandh on November 19 to block the Hyderabad-Kodad route, and the arrest of leaders Ashwatthama Reddy and Raji Reddy will hurt the effort. MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga said that the strike would continue, but he was later arrested, too.

Meanwhile, RTC MD Sunil Sharma, in his affidavit filed in the High Court, said that the management could not hold talks as the "illegal" strike had caused huge losses to the ailing RTC, and there were no funds to meet any of the demands. Even if the RTC workers called off the strike voluntarily now, the management may not be able to hold talks on the issues, he said.

He also said that the State government had given permits to private operators on 1,250 routes when the matter was in court.

The High Court is likely to deliver its final verdict on the RTC strike on Monday.