Telangana activists torch railway coach in Warangal

Warangal (Andhra Pradesh), Feb.24 (ANI): The row over the creation of a separate state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh took an ugly turn when activists of the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI) set the rake of a passenger train on fire at the Warangal railway station in Andhra Pradesh.

The incident took place on the second day of the 48 hour-long shutdown call given by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC).

A group of youths had asked all passengers to get off the train before dousing the rake with petrol and setting it on fire.

Railway authorities and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other coaches.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

Earlier, the demonstrators had pelted stones on the train and damaged its headlight.

The demand for a separate Telangana state has witnessed many violent protests with more than 300 people being killed between 1969 and 1972.

Several protests and shutdowns had brought Andhra Pradesh to a near halt last year as pro-Telangana activists pressed their demand for a separate state. (ANI)