Police lathicharge Rythu porubata: Tension prevailed in Warangal district ahead of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's Rythu Porubata in Palakurthy constituency with pro-Telangana activists threatening to disrupt his tour on January 6. Police lathicharged protestors in Jangaon including TRS MLAs T Harish Rao and D Vinaya Bhaskar, on Wednesday.

More than 20 TRS workers suffered serious injuries and were shifted to local hospitals. Trouble began when police obstructed the MLAs' vehicles on the outskirts of Jangaon when they were on their way to take part in a programme organised by TRS politburo member Sunitha Reddy at Lingala Ghanpur in protest against Naidu's tour. Irate TRS activists and the MLAs' supporters shouted slogans against the police action.

The situation soon went out of control as the TRS workers and cops scuffled with each other. When the TRS workers refused to budge, police lathicharged the protesters. In the melee, Harish Rao fell down, while the workers ran helter-skelter. Earlier, Sunitha Reddy was also stopped by the cops on the outskirts Lingala Ghanpur and taken into custody along with 60 of her supporters.

Flaying police action, Warangal West MLA Vinaya Bhaskar called upon the people not to allow Naidu to undertake his tour in the district. While Harish Rao was sent to Bachannapet police station, Bhaskar was taken to Narmetta PS. An attempt was made to shift Harish to Siddipet police station but it met with resistance from his followers following which cops had to again resort to lathicharge. Political JAC chairman Prof M Kodandaram condemned the police action and alleged that CM Kiran Kumar Reddy and Naidu have colluded to dilute the separate Telangana issue.

 Video Source:tv9live.