TJAC activists injured

WARANGAL: Several Telangana political JAC leaders, TRS activists, advocates and students were injured in police lathicharge when they tried to lay siege to the collectorate here on Tuesday in protest against the caning of KU students who opposed the YSR Congress’ Saagu Poru on Monday.Cops obstructed the TJAC activists’ rally from the Tmartyrs memorial and prevented them from reaching the collectorate. This led to jostling between the Telangana activists and cops.In a bid to forcibly send them away from the place, police wielded their lathis during which TJAC leader Prof Papi Reddy, TRS district uni t president Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, New Democracy district unit president Appa Rao, student JAC leaders K Vasudeva Reddy, Joruka Ramesh, Sriram and 20 others suffered injuries.Police caned even women activists and forcibly evicted Telangana activists from the place and shifted them to police stations.Meanwhile, Subedari CI Venkateswara Babu abused and beat the mediapersons who were covering the incident.This led to tension at the DIG office.Protesting against the ‘high-handedness’ of the police, mediapersonnel squatted at the DIG office demanding action against the CI.Later, scribes, along with advocates, took out a rally to the SP office and staged a dharna there. They met SP J Prabhakar Rao and lodged a complaint against the CI.The advocates too complained about ‘police excesses’ and appealed to him ot remove the CI from duty and the SP promised to take action.Advocates and Telangana activists burnt the flags of YSR Congress and party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy in an effigy.TJAC district convener Prof Papi Reddy criticised the police for wielding their lathis against Telangana activists, advocates and students even while they were protesting peacefully.