Hyderabad: Leaders of the TSRTC Joint Action Committee, who were on an indefinite hunger strike at their homes, were arrested by the police on Sunday.
JAC convener E. Ashwathama Reddy and co-convener Raji Reddy were arrested and the latter alleged that the police broke open the door of a room in his house.
As the police did not give permission for the JAC leaders to sit on an indefinite hunger strike at the Dharna Chowk in Indira Park, the leaders confined themselves to their homes and continued the fast.
Mr Ashwathama Reddy was arrested by the Meerpet police and taken to Osmania General Hospital.
Mr Raji Reddy’s arrest in Hastinapuram in LB Nagar saw quite a bit of drama.
When the police reached his house, Mr Raji Reddy went into a room and latched it from inside. The police forcibly opened the door by hitting it and took him into custody..
“Is democracy in the state still prevailing? The police are breaking down the doors of my house. You can see this unacceptable behaviour. Is there anybody to help us?” Mr Raji Reddy said as he was being carried away.
“I request the public of Telangana to at least support us now in the fight to end the monarchy,” he said.
Speaking to the media later, Mr Raji Reddy’s daughter Varsha asked, “What is the problem if my father does a hunger strike in the house? My mother is suffering from back pain, but she was also taken into custody. We have rights and the government is taking them away. What is the use of getting a separate state when you are taking away our rights?”
She said that her father is a diabetic and has to take pills before breakfast. The police allege that Mr Raji Reddy was threatening to set himself ablaze when the police reached his house to take him into custody. In order to prevent him from taking the extreme step, the door of a room in which he had confined himself was forcibly opened.
Later in the day, TJS president Prof. M. Kodandaram went to OGH to enquire about the health of Mr Ashwathama Reddy.
