Telangana BC Bandh Turns Violent: On Saturday, Telangana went full rage across the state as the Backward Classes (BC) unions called for a complete statewide bandh demanding their 42% reservation in government jobs and education for BCs. It started off peacefully but turned into skirmishes at varying locations, with Hyderabad and Thorrur really stirring up problems in riots where property was vandalized and there were major interruptions to transport.
At the Thorrur bus station, the Congress and BRS supporters involved in the bandh lashed it out with each other in heated arguments, which turned into a brawl. The police quickly intervened to quell the clash and dispersed the two groups to bring order.
BC bandh took a violent turn in Hyderabad when a group of agitators began attacking a petrol pump near the Nallakunta Fever Hospital, pelting stones and damaging property, thereby closing the fuel station. The attackers reportedly vented their anger at the staff for keeping the petrol pump open notwithstanding the call for a bandh. Public condemnation of the act has poured in from citizenry, where violence has met with widespread public disapproval.
The city’s paralyzed RTC buses to the respective depots spread across Rajendranagar, Dilsukhnagar, Bandlaguda, Hayathnagar, Barkatpura, and Ibrahimpatnam. Protest demonstrations were held in front of MGBS and Jubilee Bus Station (JBS), where MP Etala Rajender joined the protesters calling out for immediate government action.
The RTC buses are off the roads and stranded hundreds of passengers returning home for Diwali at the bus stops. Families, some with children and the elderly, could be found waiting for hours in vain for some alternative transport. Manipulating the situation, autos and private cabs jacked up prices-the Rs. 200 rides cost Rs. 800, and from Hyderabad to Vijayawada quotes were made at Rs. 2000 per person.
Also Read: Telangana Bandh Today: RTC Bus Services Halted Across Hyderabad
The issue of reservation in the wake of BC unions is gathering steam. But with the violent turn taken towards that same issue. The consequent inconvenience to the public has kept it all under the scanner. The government has advised restraint, urging healthy discussion over disruption. For now the roads of Telangana remain silent; its people are divided in solidarity and frustration.
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