HYDERABAD: Train services remained affected in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh on the second two of the ‘rail roko’ agitation in support statehood demand even as some MPs and MLAs arrested in connection with agitation yesterday were remanded to judicial custody on Sunday.
A group of pro-Telangana activists who squatted on rail tracks at Gandhipuram in Khammam district and organised cultural programmes on rail tracks were taken into preventive custody while police thwarted attempts of ABVP activists to storm the Ministers Quarters here. Around 10 members of the organisation were detained.
There were reports of demonstrations near railway stations and attempts by protesters to disrupt rail services by squatting on rail tracks in Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Nizambad and Warangal districts but police foiled their plans and detained many of them.
Activists also resorted to demonstrations in different Telangana districts including Hyderabad demanding release of their leaders and others who were arrested on Sunday.
The passengers continued to suffer with South Central Railways (SCR) cancelling as many 124 passengers trains while diverting, rescheduling some other trains passing through different sections in Telangana region.
The otherwise busy Nampally, Secunderabad and Kachiguda railway stations here wore a deserted look.Additional DGP (Railways) VSK Kaumudi told PTI the situation is peaceful.”The rail roko agitation is on. But we are doing our job,” he said.
Meanwhile, MPs and MLAs belonging to TRS and ruling Congress who were arrested on Saturday along with hundreds of pro-Telangana agitators were remanded to judicial custody.
Among the leaders who were sent to judicial custody included Medak MP Vijay Shanti, Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar and former minister Jeevan Reddy, Siddipet MLA Harish Rao, Warangal MP S Rajaiah and Congress MLA T Rajaiah.
Later in afternoon, a railway court in Secunderabad granted bail to Vijay Shanti, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son and legislator K T Rama Rao, who was on Saturday booked for abusing and threatening police officials during a protest at Sithapalmandi here was also released on bail.(PTI)
