'Save Dharna Chowk' protest turns violent in Hyderabad

Telangana Joint Action Committee along with opposition parties is protesting the government's move to shift the venue

Protest by opposition parties to reclaim 'Dharna Chowk' in Hyderabad turned violent on Monday. Protesters vandalised chairs, broke police barricades to enter the Dharna Chowk. Hundreds of protesters gathered near the Dharna Chowk despite a lack of permission to hold the protest.

Protesters led by Telangana Joint Action Committee condemned the K Chandrasekhar Rao government's move to shift the campus protest site to the city's outskirts from near the secretariat. Agitated protesters broke through police deployment, vandalised barricades, destroyed chairs set up and occupied the Dharna Chowk that was cordoned off.

Violence broke out after another group that was supporting the shifting of the venue clashed with members of TJAC protest. Both groups threw sticks, stones and chairs at each other. Police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. TJAC members accused the TRS of engineering the clashes in an attempt to quell growing dissent against Chief Minister KCR.

M Kodandaram of the TJAC gave the protest call and opposition parties joined hands. Members of the Left parties, TDP, BJP, Congress, and Jana Sena came together to protest against the government's move to shift the iconic venue. Opposition parties are protesting against the shifting of Dharna Chowk, a one-kilometre stretch, that even saw the Telangana state agitation gain momentum.

Allegations were levelled against the TRS as well as the police for the clashes. Protesters accused the police of refusing to grant permission for a peaceful gathering despite representations from leaders across opposition parties. Protesters, nonetheless, gathered at the venue and attempted to enter the Dharna Chowk when clashes broke out. Supporters of TJAC have demanded that those people responsible for the clashes be identified by the police,

OneIndia News