Hyderabad: A supporter for a separate Telangana state tried to set himself on fire outside the Osmania University campus, where hundreds of students have begun a march towards the state assembly and police tightened security in the city to stop them.
The student who attempted suicide is being treated at a city hospital for severe burns, say reports. A heavy security blanket was thrown across Hyderabad as students began their march to the assembly in support of separate Telangana state.
Over 20,000 police personnel, including para-military and Rapid Action Force (RAF), besides 9,000 city police personnel, were deployed on various roads leading to the assembly to thwart any attempt of the students to lay siege.
Students affiliated to Telangana Students Joint Action Committee and Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee started their 'Chalo Assembly' from Osmania University campus to Assembly demanding resignation of MLAs of Congress and TDP party from the Telangana region in support of their demand.
In the about nine-km long route between Osmania University and the Assembly, a total of 100 check-posts were set up under nine police station limits to keep a watch on the movement of Telangana students rally.
The students began the rally from Osmania University but heavily-guarded police stopped them on Shivam Road near Vidyanagar, following which they sat on the road raising slogans in support of Telangana and against the police.
As per the strategy, a stretch of three km area surrounding the Assembly building was heavily barricaded using barbed wires and even pedestrians were barred from going towards that direction.
Police have already declared the march as illegal and banned any kind of assembly of people, rallies and processions till February 25.
In addition to heavy deployment of police personnel, the city police have imposed massive traffic restrictions on the main roads leading to the Assembly and also closed flyovers.
With the main roads wearing a deserted look, traffic came to a standstill on lanes and bylanes causing inconvenience to the common man.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters that anybody violating the law would be dealt with strongly. He appealed to students from other districts not to come to Hyderabad for the rally.
Police erected barricades on roads connecting the city to other Telangana districts. Authorities also stopped several trains on the Hyderabad-Warangal route, apparently to prevent students of Warangal's Kakatiya University from reaching Hyderabad. Police, however, claimed that trains were stopped after a bomb threat.
South Central Railway cancelled almost all MMTS local trains in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
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