Telangana activists begin cooking on Hyderabad roads
June 19th, 2011 - 11:34 am ICT by IANS
Hyderabad, June 19 (IANS) Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) Sunday began with its vanta vaarpu or cook-and-eat agitation on Hyderabad roads to draw the attention of the central government to the demand for a separate Telangana state.
Hundreds of people, including leaders of various constituents of JAC, are participating in the unique form of protest in various parts of the city amid tight police security.
Protestors have set up kitchens on main thoroughfares and the busy traffic intersections since early Sunday, affecting the movement of vehicles. Activists, including women, were seen cutting vegetables, preparing ingredients and cooking food for breakfast and lunch.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) legislator Harish Rao launched the protest at Hitec City, the information technology hub. He was assisting other activists in cooking the food.
TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao’s daughter Kavita, who heads cultural wing of the party, was sitting with other protestors on the road near the Indo-American Cancer Institute in Banjara Hills and cutting vegetables.
“This is the beginning of the final phase of Telangana movement and people want to convey to the central government that it should immediately form a separate state,” she told reporters.
The TRS chief, along with his wife and other family members, will join the protest later in the day.
JAC convenor M. Kodandaram and leaders of various associations of government employees in Telangana set up a huge kitchen near Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial in front of the state assembly building in the heart of the city.
JAC leaders said they chose Sunday so that all sections of people could participate in the protest. They expect 100,000 kitchens to come up across the city and on the outskirts, and a turnout of 1.5 million protestors.
Police mobilised additional forces to tackle the protest while the organisers have warned the government against creating any hurdles in the “peaceful protest”.
Police said no organisation sought permission for the protest. Hyderabad police commissioner A. K. Khan said their action would depend on the situation.
- Cook-and-eat agitation in Hyderabad for Telangana state (Lead) - Jun 19, 2011
- Telangana JAC gears up to cook, eat on Hyderabad roads - Jun 18, 2011
- Telangana leaders arrested for road blockades in Hyderabad - Sep 28, 2011
- Telangana shutdown called for Monday - Oct 15, 2011
- Telangana protest reaches CM's office, strike continues - Sep 26, 2011
- JAC calls for two-day Telangana shutdown (Lead) - Jul 04, 2011
- Hyderabad shutdown called on Sep 30, rail blockade in October (Roundup) - Sep 26, 2011
- JAC calls for two-day Telangana shutdown - Jul 04, 2011
- Telangana groups to lay siege to Hyderabad in October - Sep 28, 2011
- Telangana rail blockade July 14 - Jul 09, 2011
- Telangana panel puts off rail blockade (Second Lead) - Jul 07, 2011
- No newspapers for Hyderabad as hawkers join Telangana stir - Sep 29, 2011
- JAC postpones rail blockade in Telangana by three days - Oct 07, 2011
- Telangana protests hit road transport, hundreds detained - Jan 17, 2011
- 48-hour Telangana shutdown may hit normal life (Second Lead) - Jul 04, 2011
Tags: action committee, american cancer institute, banjara hills, central government, final phase, government employees, harish, heart of the city, indo american, jac, kavita, legislator, peaceful protest, police security, protestors, state assembly, state hundreds, technology hub, thoroughfares, trs