Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M Kodandaram and several others were today taken into preventive custody ahead of their proposed rally on the issue of unemployment for which they have been denied permission.
Police forces, drawn from various districts in Telangana and Hyderabad city, were deployed at all strategic locations to maintain law and order, Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy said.
He said prohibitory orders were clamped as a precautionary measure and action would be initiated as per law against those who attempt to violate it.
The TJAC's request for organising the rally and public meeting at Indira Park by has already been rejected in view of the law and order situation, he said and appealed to the public not to come to Hyderabad to take part in the rally.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, (East Zone) A Ravindar said, "He (TJAC chairman) insisted on taking out a rally and go ahead with the public meeting. Hence, Kodandaram and 20 other TJAC leaders were taken into preventive custody in the early hours today."
"They will be released by evening...It's only a preventive arrest," the DCP said.
TJAC is an umbrella organisation of different pro- Telangana groups that had spearheaded the movement for separate state.
"As permission has not been granted no one should come towards Indira Park," he said.
Police also took into preventive custody several others, including local Congress leaders and members of other political parties and organisations, from different parts of the city.
They also prevented a group of students, belonging to different organisations, of Osmania University from taking out a march towards Indira Park from the varsity.
Mild tension prevailed as the students argued with police.
Reddy said all areas have been covered under CCTV
surveillance and footages "will be used as evidence" for taking legal action against those who defy the prohibitory orders.
"The members of the public are requested to cooperate with police in this regard and ensure that law and order is maintained in the city," he said.
The TJAC had called a rally and public meeting for unemployed youth today in Hyderabad and requested the police to grant permission.
The police had, however, suggested six alternative places to the organisers to conduct the meeting which they had refused and approached the Hyderabad High Court.
Since the petitioner was not ready to shift the place, the HC yesterday suggested to hold the meeting at Nagole and started dictating the judgement.
At that time, the petitioner withdrew the writ petition, police had said.
The Telangana government had earlier informed the HC it had denied permission for a protest rally of TJAC because "extremist elements" had infiltrated the group.
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Meanwhile, alleging that TRS government disappointed
unemployed youth who had high hopes of finding employment after formation of Telangana,the main opposition Congress, CPI and CPI(M) slammed the state government for trying to put down a protest called by TJAC to highlight the issue.
"Unemployed youth had high hopes that jobs will come after formation of Telangana. But, TRS government disappointed them. Employment issue has been neglected during the TRS rule though it started 33 months ago. The arrest of Kodandaram (TJAC Chairman) is undemocratic," Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
TJAC, which was in the forefront of fighting for separate Telangana, comprises of different outfits.
Condemning the police action against the TJAC leaders and activists, the CPI and CPI(M) alleged that police were terrorising unemployed youth.
"Arresting Kodandaram means insulting Telangana. Government has to pay a price if his health suffered. Police are over-reacting all over the state. Police are terrorising unemployed youth. Is this what we secured Telangana for," CPI state secretary Chada Venkata Reddy said.
Condemning police action against the rally, the CPI(M) demanded immediate release of those taken into custody and that the state government should announce a specific action plan to fill vacancies in government.
