Andhra CM holds meet ahead of pro-Telangana stir

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday held a high-level meeting to discuss the law and order situation in view of various agitation programmes planned by pro-Telangana groups in the next few days and the strike by government employees from August 17.

Reddy held the meeting with Chief Secretary S V Prasad, Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy and other senior officials.

Reddy also discussed the steps to be taken for a smooth conduct of written examination for the recruitment of police sub-inspectors on August 13 and 14, following threats by separatist groups to block it, sources in the chief minister's office said.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti and other political parties and Telangana Joint Action Committee have threatened to obstruct the exam in protest against the state government's decision to go ahead with the exam without deleting clause 14 (f) of the presidential order, which will pave the way for Hyderabad being declared as part of Zone VI for all services.

Initially the pro-Telangana groups, including the Osmania University Students JAC called for a bandh in the Telangana region on August 8. However, they are now planning to organize a 48-hour bandh from August 13.

The written test was earlier postponed in November last year after pro-Telangana student groups launched an agitation on 14 (f) clause of presidential order, which declared Hyderabad as a free zone for police recruitment.

The agitation then had witnessed widespread violence, with pro-Telangana students staging demonstrations and trying to storm the residences of Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy and other ministers and burning down buses even as the Osmania University campus remaining tense due to the protests for few days.

Additional Directorate General (intelligence) M Mahender Reddy, Police Commissioners (Hyderabad and Cyberabad Commissionerate) A K Khan and Dwarka Tirumala Rao were among other officials who attended the meeting.