Hyderabad witnessed a tense situation on Friday as two Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) MLAs scaled the State Assembly building and threatened to jump if the demands of a separate Telangana State are not met.
Several MLAs were seen burning an effigy of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in front of the building gate. Many had gathered around the building in black T-shirts as a part of 'Chalo Assembly' protest called on by pro-Telangana parties.
Two MLAs - K Sammaiah and D Vinay Bhaskar, were seen climbing onto the terrace, holding black flags and demanding the release of arrested Telangana supporters.
The drama was put to an end after an hour of ordeal when Assembly marshals finally managed to bring the ministers down.
In wake of the chaos and protests the Andhra Pradesh Assembly proceedings were adjourned for the day with the opposition comprising TRS, BJP, CPI and TDP bringing the statehood issue to the fore.
Even as the protests in front of the government building died down, students of Osmania University clashed with police forces for the third day demanding the formation of a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh.
Students pelted stones as police forces tried to seal off the campus to dissuade students from participating in the protest rally. Two students were injured as police resorted to teargas in a bid to disperse the crowds. Around 20 students were taken into custody in the process.
The organisation of the 'Chalo Assembly' rally, jointly proposed by BJP, TRS and Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), was denied permission by police fearing disruption of normal life.
In light of the protest rally, South Central Railways has partially cancelled its train services. Around 10,000 policemen have been deployed along with 20 troops of the Central Para-military forces.
