Government News: Top Stories

Fresh protests erupt over Telangana demand

Reuters Translate This Article
20 January 2010

HYDERABAD (Reuters) - At least a dozen students were injured as they clashed with police in Hyderabad during a shutdown of the IT hub on Wednesday, in a fresh burst of protests over the creation of a new state, police said.

Violence erupted when police and paramilitary forces stopped hundreds of students from holding a procession with the body of a colleague, who committed suicide over the delay in carving a new state of 'Telangana' out of Andhra Pradesh.

'The situation is now under control,' B. Prasada Rao, the Hyderabad police commissioner, told reporters. He said 10 police were injured when students pelted them with stones.

The ruling Congress party-led government has postponed its decision on creating a new state after heavy protests against Telangana. But the delay drew fierce opposition from both sides.

Analysts say the turmoil could hit businesses in Hyderabad, a city that is home to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Mahindra Satyam.

Supporters of Telangana statehood say the interior region has been neglected in favour of Andhra Pradesh's dominant coastal districts. Opponents fear the loss of Hyderabad to the new state will cut off a major revenue stream for Andhra Pradesh, which has invested heavily in the city's infrastructure.

Businesses, schools and colleges stayed closed and road transport ground to a halt as a 48-hour shutdown called by students' groups drew a big response in Hyderabad and nine other districts in the Telangana region.

Members of the legislative assembly from the Telangana region have threatened to resign en masse if New Delhi does not make an announcement on the formation of new state by Jan. 28.

Police fired into the air and used tear gas shells and canes to disperse students on the sprawling campus of Osmania University, which has been the site of earlier protests.

A quick resolution paving the way for the formation of Telangana appears slim as most politicians are sharply divided within their own parties on this issue.

(Editing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Copyright 2010 Reuters. Reprinted with permission from Reuters. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution or Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters Sphere Logo are registered trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. For additional information about Reuters content and services, please visit Reuters website at www.reuters.com. License # REU-4198-JJM.

Global Good News comment:

For Maharishi's Vedic Approach to solving the problems of today's news, please visit: http://maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com' target='_blank' >http://maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com

For the good news about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: http://www.globalfinancialcapitalny.org' target='_blank'>Global Financial Capital of New York

Translation software is not perfect; however if you would like to try it, you can translate this page using:

(Google)
(Altavista babelfish)