'Rail roko' begins in Telangana, 124 trains cancelled

Several pro-Telangana leaders, including elected representatives of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the ruling Congress, were taken into custody on Saturday as the three-day 'rail roko' agitation began in the region to press for their demand for a separate state.

Among those taken into preventive custody were Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhar Rao's son and Member of Legislative Assembly K T Rama Rao and his daughter K Kavitha, who is president of the Telangana Jagruti, a cultural outfit of the TRS.

Police thwarted attempts by Rama Rao and his supporters to lay siege to the residence of Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy, while Kavita was taken into custody for squatting on the railway track at Moula Ali Station.

Medak Member of Parliament Vijay Shanti was detained near Lakadi-ka-Pul station while Karimnagar Congress MP Ponnam Prabhakar and ex-Minister Jeevan Reddy were detained in Karimnagar district. Congress MP S Rajaiah was taken into custody in Warangal.

The police also took into custody scores of protesters, who squatted on rail tracks in different districts of the region and raised slogans in support of Telangana.

As a precautionary measure, the South Central Railways has announced cancellation of as many 124 passenger trains and diverted/rescheduled some others, including local trains that pass through Telangana.

The Andhra Pradesh police have made elaborate security arrangements to thwart attempts by Telangana supporters to disrupt rail services. Central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the state capital and all Telangana districts.

The Telangana-Joint Action Committee, comprising of some political parties and people's organisations, has called for a rail blockade from today to October 17 to press for their demand for a separate state.