Telangana Uproar: TRS Intensifies Protests

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has called for another bandh on Tuesday 27 March, 2012 to demand immediate action from the Centre on creating a separate state carved out of Andhra Pradesh. The shutdown call came after one more person died yesterday and another was battling burn injuries after he attempted to immolate himself for separate statehood to Telangana.

Two days after an MBA student committed suicide in Warangal, an autorickshaw driver immolated himself in Hanamkonda town in the same district. Rajmouli, who doused himself with kerosene in a public park and immolated himself, left behind a suicide note saying he was taking his life due to the delay in formation of a separate Telangana state. In another incident, a youth tried to immolate himself at Wanaparthy town in Mahabubnagar district yesterday. BR Goud torched himself at a busy cross-road in the town and was shifted to hospital.

The suicides come close on the heels of by-election results in Telangana, which demonstrated that the sentiment for a separate state is still strong. Of six Assembly seats, TRS bagged four seats and BJP one. An independent fighting for the separate state was also elected. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had yesterday stalled the state Assembly and also raised the issue in Parliament. With the shutdown call, the region may witness another round of protests for a separate state, much severe than the earlier 42-day Sakala Janula Samme that has crippled the entire state administration.